Cyclone Yaas: Houses, shops damaged at West Bengal's Digha, small shop owners lose only source of income

By Syeda Shabana Parveen
Purba Medinipur (West Bengal) [India], May 27 (ANI): Though the cyclonic storm Yaas had made its landfall over Odisha, but the after-effect can also be seen at the East Medinipur district in West Bengal.
Several houses and shops in the coastal town of Digha have been completely damaged. The tin rooftop of the houses were been blown away by the wind. Many small shop owners have lost their source of income as their shops have been destroyed by the cyclonic storm.
Shakti Pada Rana, a fast-food shop-owner at the coastal area of Digha told ANI that they have lost materials worth Rs 1 lakh to 1.5 lakhs.
"We have faced many cyclones earlier, but did not face such loss. This shop was the only source of income for my family," Shakti said.

Another shopkeeper Beni Madhav Rana said they thought, it would be like the other cyclones they faced earlier but never thought it would destroy things completely.
"We are picking up the things left so that it can be used when the shops are renovated," Beni told ANI.
According to the Regional Meteorological Centre in West Bengal, several parts of West Bengal, including Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts are likely to witness thunderstorm with lightning and gusty wind on Thursday.
Meanwhile, seven Indian Navy teams from Visakhapatnam are taking part in relief operations in the aftermath of cyclone Yaas in West Bengal.
The cyclone impacted East Medinipur, West Medinipur, Bankura, South 24 Pargana and Jhargram districts in West Bengal and Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj in Odisha.
IMD said cyclonic storm Yaas weakened into a deep depression and lay centered at 11.30 pm on May 26 over south Jharkhand and adjoining north interior Odisha. It is likely to move northwestwards and weaken gradually into a depression during the next 12 hours. (ANI)