By PTI
RANCHI: Cyclone Yaas that caused a havoc in Jharkhand with tornadoes, torrential rains and swelling rivers damaged crops on 75 hectares of area and left about 1,500 houses, mostly raw, damaged besides injuries to 18 people, officials said Friday.
While about 20,000 people were evacuated to safer places, Jharkhand saw a major bridge collapse and four deaths due to bad weather, including one in Koderma following boundary collapse under the impact of incessant rains.
“Initial assessment of the damage suggests collapse of 76 houses while partial damage was caused to 1,432 houses due to incessant rains in the state besides crop destruction on 75 hectares of land,” State Disaster Management Secretary Amitabh Kaushal told PTI.
After battering Odisha and West Bengal, the cyclonic storm entered Jharkhand on May 26 night and formed deep depression and crossed the state with a wind speed of about 35 kmph on Thursday evening.
Its velocity had reduced to 30-40 kmph in Ranchi before it left Jharkhand at the borders of Hazaribag and Chatra.
The state disaster management department secretary said a final assessment is yet to take place of the damage triggered by Yaas in the state.
He said 18 people were injured in the state amid bad weather, incessant rains etc.
The cyclone impacted about 700 villages, Kaushal said, adding there was a flash flood at Sahebganj.
Torrential rains and winds had severely impacted East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, Saraikela-Kharsawan, Khunti, Ranchi, Ramgarh and other districts.
Two persons were killed in Ranchi due to house collapse on Thursday while a person died due to lighting in Bokaro a day before.
A major bridge connecting several localities near Ranchi had crashed down on Thursday like a pack of cards amid heavy rainfall and Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday ordered a high-level probe into the collapse.
Deputy Commissioner, East Singhbhum, Suraj Kumar told PTI, “Water level has receded in most parts of the district and water flow in both the rivers – Subarnrekha and Kharkai has receded below danger mark.
“Fifteen Katccha (raw) houses collapsed in the district while 463 were partially damaged in addition to damage to two paccka (concrete) houses.”
Kumar said barring about 50 people rest of the about 12,000 persons who were evacuated in the district have gone back to their original places from shelter homes and the district administration has provided relief material to them.
Indian Meteorological Department said, “Yesterday’s depression over central parts of Jharkhand moved north westwards and weakened into a well-marked low pressure area in the early morning of today…over Bihar and adjoining East Uttar Pradesh.
Cyclone ‘Yaas’, packing winds of up to 130-145 kmph, whiplashed the country’s eastern coasts on Wednesday, before losing its force to some extent as it hollered on its destructive path to Jharkhand.
Forest, drinking water and sanitation, and electricity departments etc have been asked to restore services like electricity, transportation and water.
Yaas is the second cyclonic storm to hit the country within a week after ‘Tauktae’ tore into its western coast, causing death and destruction.
