Amid India was observing 4th. Phase of extended Lockdown ( from 18 May to 31 May 2020) due to Corona Virus COVID-19, Amphan, a super Cyclone hit eastern Indian City Kolkata and six districts of the state of West Bengal on 20 May 20 afternoon.
The eastern Indian city of Kolkata was devastated by a powerful cyclone which has killed at least 86 people across districts and Kolkata city. The city experienced first ever such a ferocious storm in centuries.
Amphan made landfall on Wednesday, lashing coastal areas with ferocious wind and rain. As per forecast, it entered in the city at about 2-30Pm with gales and rain. I was trying to see from the side balcony where wind pressure was less. There was too much wind pressure on the front balcony door and window on the main road. The heavy wind with so much sound & rain made us sit inside the room. Amid such a situation we heard breaking of window panes somewhere and then heard a big sound of something fallen. Came out in the side balcony and tried to see what it was. Found a PVC pipe was uprooted from our next building and came flying to our area and fallen on my car. Pipe was broken into pieces but car was not damaged except some scratches.. Then I saw a big branch of our 50 years old tree lost the wrestling with the mighty cyclone and broke down to the ground with a sound. The wind velocity reached to its pick at about 7.00 pm. Which was recorded as 133 km per hour. At about 7-30pm cyclone passed away from the city towards North East and Bangladesh.
.During 5 hours of presence of Amphan, Kolkata was devastated with thousands of trees were uprooted in the gales, electricity and telephone lines brought down and houses flattened. Many of Kolkata’s roads were flooded and its 14 million people left without power. The storm is the first super cyclone to form in the Bay of Bengal since 1999. Though its winds had weakened by the time it struck, it was still classified as a very severe cyclone.
Corona virus restrictions have been hindering emergency and relief works. Covid-19 and social-distancing measures made mass evacuations more difficult, with shelters unable to be used to full capacity. Most people were at home when the Cyclone struck. Kolkata and the rest of India is in lockdown due to corona virus pandemic.
My hurried Facebook post while the cyclone was on outside (in Bengali) was as follows :-
“মনে হচ্ছে মহা প্রলয় নেমে এসেছে পৃথিবীতে। ঝড়ের গতিবেগ এত তিব্র যে মনে হচ্ছে জানালা দরজা ভেঙ্গে যাবে। দরজা জানালাগুলো সমানে ঝাকিয়ে যাচ্ছে। এক সময় সামনের বিশাল রাধাছুড়া গাছটা হার মানলো, রাস্তায় লুটিয়ে পড়লো। রাস্তা বন্দ হয়ে গেল। পাশের বাড়ীর পিভিসি পাইপু উড়ে আমার গাড়িতে পড়ে খান খান । এই ঝড়ের ভয়ঙ্কর রুপ লিখে বোঝানো যাবে না। জীবনে আগে কখনো দেখিনি।“
Internet service was disrupted after the above facebook post for more than one week and thank God, restored yesterday. So we suffered double Lockdown.
Anil
Anil Chandra's Blog 