Tropical Cyclone ‘Yaas’ continues to ravage India’s eastern coast after making landfall near Dhamra port in Odisha. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that the world body was ready to assist India in its relief efforts if it needed help.

Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, “From South Asia, which is being impacted currently by Tropical Cyclone Yaas, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that we have activated cyclone preparedness measures and prepositioned stocks of food and other items.”

The spokesperson further added, “The cyclone reached the Indian state of Odisha yesterday, with millions of people being evacuated by the Government ahead of the storm. UN agencies and our partners in India stand ready to support the response efforts if State authorities request it.”

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the cyclonic storm ‘Yaas’ has weakened into a deep depression over southern Jharkhand and adjoining Odisha, late on Thursday. IMD further said that it is likely to move northwestward and gradually weaken into a depression later today.

Also Read: Differences & similarities between cyclones formed over Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea

In the cyclone-affected areas of Digha, Fraserganj and Diamond Harbour in West Bengal, seven Indian Navy teams from Visakhapatnam were deployed to carry out relief work.

As the storm is continuing its course after weakening into a deep depression over southern Jharkhand, Ranchi received a bout of heavy showers on Thursday morning.

After Yaas made landfall in Odisha on Wednesday morning, at least four people were killed as several coastal towns of north Odisha and neighbouring West Bengal came under the cyclone’s onslaught.

Also Read: Impact of the Madden Julian Oscillation on the rainfall over Indian subcontinent

In a tweet, the office of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik commended the efforts made my local police, NDRF and ODRAF personnel to rescue vulnerable people, remove fallen trees and restore road communication following the devastation caused by Cyclone ‘Yaas’.

Also Read: Can Indian Ocean Dipole alone help us understand the Indian monsoon?

In another tweet, the office of the CM also praised the work done by Energy-Odisha through meticulous planning to bring back power to the districts that were battered by the cyclonic storm.