Nov. 16: The cyclonic storm that grazed the Bengal coast last night before veering into Bangladesh has killed one person but affected over 14,000 people in the state.

It has damaged over 1,000 thatched houses and destroyed crops across 7,500 hectares in North and South 24-Parganas.

The sole person killed was cycle van operator Narayan Das, 42, who was returning home when the storm started. He died at Swarupnagar in the Basirhat area of North 24-Parganas, about 70km from Calcutta.

Police said Das had taken shelter under a tree. “The tree got uprooted and collapsed on him, crushing him to death,” an officer said.

The North 24-Parganas district magistrate, Prabhat Mishra, said over 600 houses had been damaged. The embankments of the Dasa and the Bidyadhari rivers in Sandeshkhali were breached, causing floods in villages in the Sandeshkhali-I panchayat area.

A Calcutta-Silchar Air India flight was cancelled this morning because of cyclonic weather at the destination. Air India officials said the 103 passengers due to have taken that flight would be put on an additional one tomorrow.

Met officials said the “very severe” storm, Cyclone Sidr, moved northeast after entering Bangladesh and rapidly weakened. Today, it lay over Bangladesh and adjoining Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya with its centre about 50 km north of Agartala. It is likely to move north-northeast and weaken further.

“The sky over Calcutta and its adjoining areas will remain partly cloudy tomorrow with the possibility of light rain in some areas,” said G.C. Debnath, the director of the weather section at the Alipore Met office.

“After being alerted by the Met department yesterday, we had shifted about two lakh people to highrises. Now that the cyclone has moved away, we have lifted all the alerts,” said finance minister Asim Dasgupta at Writers’ Buildings.

He said the families of those who had lost their lives — so far the count is only one — would get Rs 50,000. “Those whose houses have been fully damaged will get Rs 2,000 and those with partly damaged houses will get Rs 1,000,” said relief minister Mortaza Hossain.

Irrigation minister Subhas Naskar said about 14,000 people had been affected in North and South 24-Parganas.