Cyclone Remal: Kolkata airport announces suspension of flight operations for 9 hours

Kolkata: The Kolkata Airport on Saturday announced suspension of flight operations for 9 hours, in anticipation of the landfall of Cyclone Remal. The flight operations will remain suspended from Sunday midnight, the airport authorities have announced. It is expected that the cyclone will make landfall between West Bengal
and Bangladesh coasts.

IMD predicts cyclone landfall timings

The India Meteorological Department has even predicted the time the cyclone is expected to make landfall. IMD scientist Dr Somenath Dutta was quoted as saying that the landfall is likely to cross the coast between Bangladesh and the adjoining West Bengal coast between Sagar Island and Khepupara by May 26, midnight. This will be a severe cyclonic storm, he added.

He also talked about the exact location of the cyclone and said that it was 18.2 degrees North and 89.7 degrees. Scientists were expecting it to move in the northward direction. It is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm over your east central and adjoining North Bay on Saturday itself. The wind speed expected once the storm intensifies into a severe cyclonic storm are expected to be 110 to 120 kilometre per hour, according to the scientist. The impact that the cyclone will have includes heavy rainfall, strong wind and storm surge, said Dutta.

Most places will witness light to moderate rainfall, according to IMD, while heavy to very heavy rains might be witnessed at isolated places. Heavy rains will mostly occur in the coastal districts of West Bengal and also in adjoining districts in North Odisha on May 26 and May 27. States in the northeast, like Mizoram, Tripura and parts of Manipur, mostly the southern part of the state, are likely to see rains on May 26 and 27.

Preparations for Cyclone Remal

The Navy and the coastguard have made arrangements for the impending cyclone Remal. The Navy team inducted Diving and Flood Relief Teams, along with equipment by special Navy aircraft on May 24-25 in Kolkata. The induction of relief material designed to support people in distress in case of floods is also in progress, and would be completed before the Cyclone hits Kolkata. The Navy has said that all equipment and material would be ready at INS Netaji Subhas for immediate deployment as required in support of civil administration.