PM Modi will conduct an aerial survey of the areas affected by Cyclone Yaas today in Bengal and Odisha

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to West Bengal and Odisha, both of which have been devastated by cyclones. He plans to conduct an aerial survey to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Yaas, which has already claimed four lives.

Cyclone Yaas slammed into parts of India’s eastern coast on Wednesday, destroying homes and flooding farmland, and forcing over 21 lakh people to flee to safe havens in West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand.

First, the prime minister will fly to Bhubaneswar for a review meeting. After that, he’ll conduct an aerial survey in the Balasore, Bhadrak, and Purba Medinipur areas that have been affected. He will then travel to West Bengal for a review meeting.

Surging waters swept beached fishing boats inland and swamped mud-and-thatch houses and farmlands in low-lying areas as the cyclone made landfall near Dhamra port in Odisha on Wednesday around 9 a.m. Yaas is India’s second cyclone in a week, following Tauktae, which wreaked havoc on the country’s western coast. Modi also conducted an aerial survey of the areas in Gujarat and the neighbouring Union Territory of Diu that were affected by Cyclone Tauktae.

Meanwhile, Cyclone ‘Yaas’ has impacted at least eight lakh people in Jharkhand, dumping copious rain across the state, including Ranchi, and disrupting life in many areas.

Around 15,000 people have been evacuated and relocated to safer areas, and rescue operations are still ongoing in East Singhbhum district, among other places, as the water level in several rivers, including the Kharkhai and Subarnarekha, remains above the danger mark.