Cyclone ‘Mocha’ likely to intensify into very severe cyclonic storm today, NDRF teams deployed in West Bengal

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed eight teams and 200 rescuers in West Bengal’s Digha after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that Cyclone  Mocha will intensify into a severe cyclonic storm.

According to IMD, the severe cyclonic storm ‘Mocha’ is set to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm on Friday and head to the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast. The weather forecasting agency has also predicted cyclone ‘Mocha’ of turning into a severe cyclone by May 14.

“The SCS “Mocha” lay centered at 0230 hours IST of 12th May 2023 over Southeast adjoining Central Bay of Bengal about 520 km west-northwest of Port Blair,” the IMD said in a tweet in the wee hours of Friday.

“Cyclone Mocha will convert into a severe storm on May 12 and a very severe cyclone on May 14, as per the predictions,” said Gurminder Singh, Commandant, 2nd Battalion, NDRF. “We have deployed 8 teams. 200 rescuers of NDRF deployed on the ground and 100 rescuers on standby,” said Singh.

Sanjeev Dwivedi, IMD senior scientist, Bhubaneswar also predicted that the cyclonic storm is lightly to recurve and on the 12th of May evening it will intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm over the central Bay of Bengal. “The Cyclonic storm is likely to recurve and on the 12th of May evening, it will intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm over the central Bay of Bengal. On 13th May it will take peak intensity. The system is under continuous surveillance,” said Dwivedi.

The weather office said Cyclone Mocha (pronounced Mokha) will further intensify on Friday and re-curve north-northeastwards for a Sunday landfall between Cox’s Bazaar and Kyaukpyu, close to port city Sittwe in Myanmar, packing winds of 175 kmph.

Due to the weather conditions, the northeastern states of Tripura and Mizoram are likely to get heavy rainfall from Saturday. On the other hand, Nagaland, Manipur and south Assam are expected to get rainfall on Sunday.

The IMD has asked fishermen, ships, boats and trawlers not to venture into central and northeast Bay of Bengal and north Andaman Sea till Sunday. Those sailing in central Bay of Bengal and north Andaman Sea are advised to return to coast.

On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that people do not need to fear the cyclone as the state government is equipped to handle the situation. “No need to fear the cyclone. If there come different circumstances, we will rescue people from coastal areas as the cyclone will move to Bangladesh and Myanmar,” CM Banerjee had said.

The cyclone has been named Mocha (Mokha), a name suggested by Yemen after the Red Sea port city, which is known to have introduced coffee to the world over 500 years ago. The weather office has suggested regulation of tourism and offshore activities and shipping near Andaman and Nicobar Islands and over the sea areas of southeast and central Bay of Bengal till Friday (May 12).