Cyclone Dana To Make Landfall at 3 am; Coastal Districts Witness Heavy Rainfall
CM Mohan Majhi reviews cyclone preparedness: ‘Zero casualty is our mission.’ Massive evacuation efforts underway with 19 NDRF, 51 ODRAF, and 220 Fire Services teams deployed
By : Akshaya Kumar Sahoo
Update: 2024-10-24 16:17 GMT
BHUBANESWAR: Cyclone Dana that intensified into a severe storm with wind speeds at its centre reaching 95-105 km/h will make a landfall at 3 am on Friday between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra in Odisha. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that winds could accelerate to 100-120 km/h as the cyclone approaches land, affecting districts such as Kendrapara, Bhadrak, and Balasore.
By Thursday evening, the storm was located 100 km off the coast of Paradip, advancing at a speed of 11 kilometres per hour (km/h), according to IMD director general Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra. Coastal areas remain on high alert with predictions of very heavy rainfall on October 24 and 25.
At a high-level meeting on Thursday to assess the cyclone preparedness, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that 1,653 villages are likely to be impacted and urged residents to relocate to cyclone shelters. So far, 3.5 lakh people have been evacuated from vulnerable areas, with special attention given to the evacuation of 3,000 pregnant women who have been moved to health centers for medical care.
“Our priority is the safety of every citizen. We are committed to ensuring zero casualties, and our teams are working tirelessly to complete evacuations before the cyclone makes landfall,” the Chief Minister said.
19 teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 51 teams from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), and 220 fire services teams have been deployed across the coastal districts of the state to assist relief and evacuation operations. Additionally, 158 police platoons have been mobilised to maintain order.
The government also alerted marine and inland water transport operators to suspend operations, as the cyclone poses significant risks to small boats and trawlers. Riverine flooding in some areas is also anticipated.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister decided to spend Thursday night at state secretariat Nabanna to monitor the situation. Though the cyclone is not expected to affect the state, Banerjee said that over 3.5 lakh people were identified for evacuation from low-lying areas of the state and 2,43,374 people have taken shelter in various relief camps.
At the Kolkata Airport, operation of 309 flights was affected between 6 pm on October 24 and 9 am on October 25. Among them were 149 domestic departures and 132 domestic arrivals. On the international section, 14 were departures and 14 were arrivals.