New Delhi/Chennai: Cyclone Yaas is feared to strike the Odisha and West Bengal coasts in a very severe shape, as deadly as last year’s Amphan, at a maximum wind speed of 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph on 26 May evening.

As a pre-emptive measure, NDRF has deployed 35 teams — two in North Bengal and 33 in South Bengal.

“We’re shifting some teams from North 24 Parganas to west, which may have large impact. State & central govts are very much proactive this time. We’re better prepared than Cyclone Amphan. We’re deployed in large numbers including SDRF & Army this time. The challenges related to COVID remains same,” said Gurminder Singh, commandant, Eastern 2 BN NDRF, in Nadia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday directed senior officers to work in close co-ordination with States to ensure safe evacuation of people from high-risk areas.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has airlifted 950 NDRF personnel and 70 tonnes of load from Jamnagar, Varanasi, Patna and Arakonnam to Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and Port Blair in 15 transport aircraft, the Defence Ministry said. IAF has also kept 16 transport aircraft and 26 helicopters on standby.

“The Deep Depression over East-central Bay of Bengal remained practically stationary during past 6 hours, intensified into Cyclonic Storm ‘Yaas’ and lay centred at 0530 hrs IST of Monday over East-central Bay of Bengal near latitude 16.3°N and longitude 89.7°E, about 600 km north-northwest of Port Blair (Andaman Islands), 540 km south-southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 650 km south-southeast of Balasore (Odisha) and 630 km south southeast of Digha (West Bengal),” the IMD said in a bulletin at 8:30 am.