Kolkata: Cyclone Amphan, which battered Bengal practically all day on Wednesday, has killed 72 people, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday. The storm -- worst in 283 years-- swept through Kolkata on Wednesday, destroying thousands of homes, uprooting trees and electric poles. In the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would visit Bengal and Odisha for an aerial survey today. Ms Banerjee -- who said the damage caused by Amphan is to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore -- has drawn up a survey schedule ad blueprint for relief.
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Calling it one of the worst cyclones "not just in the history of Bengal, but the entire country," Mamata Banerjee said the state government has created a fund of Rs 1,000 crore to carry out the relief work.
The Prime Minister said the entire nation stands with Bengal and "no stone will be left unturned" to help those affected. "In this challenging hour, the entire nation stands in solidarity with West Bengal. Praying for the well-being of the people of the state. Efforts are on to ensure normalcy," the PM tweeted.
Ms Banerjee said 15 of the victims were from Kolkata and most of the people died due to electrocution and injuries sustained from falling branches. Rs 2 lakh will be offered as compensation to the families of each of the victims.
An aerial survey of the affected areas will be held today and the damage assessment teams will submit reports within a week. The police are using drones to survey the damages in Kolkata, Howrah and North 24 Parganas. Other districts will be surveyed next, the Chief Minister said.
Each minister has been asked to take responsibility of a district, the Chief Minister said. Relief in terms of providing drinking water, electricity, and restoring roads will be carried out immediately. Food grains will be delivered directly to people's homes in places where ration shops have been affected.
Health centres and medical camps are being set up to deal with the health issues that might crop up after the cyclone.
Ms Banerjee said she had asked the Prime Minister to visit the Sunderbans -- the marshy mangrove forest in the Ganga delta area located in the extreme southern part of the state. "Amit Shah called me this afternoon and assured the centre will extend full help... In this hour or crisis, let us work together," Ms Banerjee said.
Bengal took the brunt of Cyclone Amphan, which barreled into the coast with gusting winds of up to 185 km per hour. Strong winds with speed up to 125 km per hour upturned cars in Kolkata and left uprooted trees and electricity poles blocking roads. Portions of several battered buildings came crashing down. The Kolkata airport, which had been shut, was left flooded and many structures within damaged.
The cyclone also ripped through the coastal districts of North and South 24 Paraganas of Bengal with heavy rain and windstorm, blowing away thatched houses, uprooting trees, electric poles and flooding low lying areas.
Amphan was the worst cyclone in Bengal in 283 years. In 1737, the Great Bengal Cyclone killed an estimated 300,000 people. In 1999, Odisha was hit by a super cyclone that left nearly 10,000 dead.
