Cyclone Amphan, one of the worst storms over the Bay of Bengal in years, pounded Odisha & Bengal on May 20. The cyclone destroyed thousands of houses, damaged buildings, uprooted trees, electricity poles and killed at least 12 people in Bengal. CM Mamata Banerjee said the impact of cyclone Amphan was worse than the coronavirus pandemic. Banerjee claimed damages due to the cyclone could be in the region of Rs 1 lakh crore. The cyclone, whose eye was about 30 km in diameter, made landfall with gusting winds of up to 185 kmph and waves about 15 feet tall. Over five lakh people in Bengal and over one lakh in Odisha were evacuated and taken to shelters. Many areas plunged into darkness with no electricity and streets were waterlogged. National Disaster Response Force chief SN Pradhan said the storm is ‘a double challenge’ for the country amid fight against coronavirus. Restoration work by NDRF is underway at Airport Road in Kolkata.
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