“No stone will be left unturned, the nation stands with Bengal”: PM Modi to visit Bengal today

Cyclone Amphan has been the worst cyclone in the 283 years. Amphan left entire Bengal battered killing 76 and leaving a trail of massive destruction behind.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to visit Bengal and Odisha for an aerial survey. 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.

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 tomorrow 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.