Cyclone Dana expected to make landfall soon

In a bulletin issued today, the IMD stated, "The depression, which formed from Monday’s well-marked low-pressure area over the east-central Bay of Bengal, was located at 5:30 a.m. on October 22 near latitude 15.4°N and longitude 91.2°E. It lies approximately 730 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 770 km south-southeast of Sagar Island (West Bengal), and 740 km south-southeast of Khepupara (Bangladesh)."

According to the IMD, the system is likely to move west-northwestwards, intensifying into a cyclonic storm by October 23. It is expected to strengthen further into a severe cyclonic storm over the northwest Bay of Bengal by the morning of October 24. The cyclone is forecast to make landfall between Puri (Odisha) and Sagar Island (West Bengal) during the night of October 24 or early October 25, bringing wind speeds of 100-110 kilometres per hour (km/h), with gusts up to 120 km/h.

The cyclone, named "Cyclone Dana," is predicted to make its landfall along the Odisha coast, with the peak impact expected to occur between October 24 and 25.

In anticipation of the cyclone, the Odisha government has decided to close schools in the affected districts from October 23 to 25. A letter issued by the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) directed the closure of schools in Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Angul, Khurda, Nayagarh, and Cuttack districts for three days.

Disaster response teams, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), and the state fire services, have been deployed in vulnerable coastal areas. The central government has also allocated a helicopter to assist with rescue and relief operations, should they be needed.

The IMD has forecast heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across Odisha, beginning October 23. The rainfall intensity is expected to increase on October 24 and 25, particularly in coastal regions.

Manorama Mohanty, Director of the IMD’s Regional Centre, warned that the cyclone’s peak impact will occur on October 24 and 25. The IMD has issued a "Yellow Warning" for districts including Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Ganjam, and Gajapati for October 23. A more severe "Red Warning" has been issued for Puri, Khurda, Ganjam, and Jagatsinghpur for October 24 and 25, indicating the likelihood of severe weather.

Farmers in cyclone-prone districts have been harvesting their paddy crops early to minimise losses, and in areas like Balasore, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, and Jagatsinghpur, pregnant women and elderly residents have been moved to safer locations as a precaution.

The Odisha government has also issued a stern warning to businesses, cautioning against any black-market activities, especially price gouging, during this critical time. Authorities have vowed to take strict action against violators.

Signal 1 has been hoisted at all major ports in Odisha. Signal 1 implies a low pressure area is forming far at sea and surface wind could be upto 33 knots or about 60 kmph.