Cyclone Dana: Evacuation Underway In Odisha And Bengal, Coast Guard On High Alert; Schools Closed

In line with the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) prediction of Cyclone Dana possibly hitting Odisha and West Bengal, the governments of both states have scaled up pre-emptive measures ahead of its predicted landfall on Thursday. As per predictions, half of Odisha’s population are expected to be affected by the impending cyclone that could cross the east coast.

According to the weather watchdog, a depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression on Tuesday evening and is likely to become a severe cyclonic storm and cross the Odisha-West Bengal coasts in the early hours of October 25 with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph.

Cyclone Dana in Odisha: Key points in brief

Coast guard on high alert- The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has been on high alert in light of the cyclone hitting the states, Several vessels and aircraft have been mobilised in a bid to respond swiftly to any contingency owing to the cyclone.

Evacuation underway- As per an official statement issued by the Odisha government, 10 lakh people from 3,000 villages in 14 districts are expected to be shifted to relief camps.

IMD predictions- According to IMD DG Mrutunjay Mohapatra, the entire eastern coast from Puri in Odisha and Sagar Island West Bengal coast is likely to be impacted by the impending cyclone Dana. According to Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, multipurpose Cyclone Shelters, Flood Shelters and other buildings have been identified to shelter the vulnerable population. Essential arrangements have been made for the provision of food, drinking water, lighting, sanitation and health facilities to the people to be evacuated to such shelters,

CM's directions- In view of the possibility of torrential rainfall and other cyclone-related damages, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi urged all the MLAs to coordinate with the administration in rescue and relief operations in Odisha, which is likely to bear the brunt of the cyclone. In abid to ensure the CM's “zero casualty” goal, the state government has prepared an action plan for deployment of NDRF, ODRAF and Fire Services.

14 districts on alert- Based on the IMD forecast, the Odisha government has put 14 districts such as Angul, Puri, Nayagarh, Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Ganjam and Mayurbhanj on alert.

Distance Cautionary (DC-I) signals in three major ports - Gopalpur, Paradip and Dhamara in view of very high speed winds.

Schools, colleges closed- All educational institutions including schools, colleges and universities will remain closed in 14 districts of Odisha from October 23 to 25 in view of the impending cyclone.

Cyclone Dana in Bengal: Key points in brief

NDRF, SDRF deployed- The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have already been deployed across vulnerable areas. Integrated control rooms have also been established at both state and district levels, functioning 24/7 to monitor the situation, she said.

CM's words- Commenting on the state government's preparedness, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her government is ready to face the cyclone. “Schools will remain closed in seven districts from October 23 to 26 as a precautionary measure. We do not want to take any risk. Schools and colleges are sometimes used as shelters for people," Banerjee said.

Several districts on alert- The districts likely to experience the most significant effects of the storm include South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur, along with coastal areas and neighbouring districts like Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Jhargram, and Hooghly.

ICG on high alert- The Indian Coast Guard said in a statement that it is on high alert, with its dedicated personnel and assets ready to provide assistance, rescue and relief. Several helicopters have been deployed and remote operating stations gave been set up in Haldia to broadcast regular weather warnings and safety advisories to fishermen and mariners.

Kolkata airport prepared- Authorities of the Kolkata airport have started preparations to tackle any situation arising out of a possible cyclonic storm that could hit coastal areas of West Bengal and Odisha on October 25, a senior official said on Tuesday. The standard operating procedures such as inspection of the airport infrastructure and the drainage system, checking and servicing of all installations are being carried out, he said.

Several trains cancelled- More than 150 express and passenger trains running through South Eastern Railway jurisdiction have been cancelled in view of the storm. The trains cancelled include Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express, Kamakhya-Yesvantpur AC Express, Howrah-Puri Shatabdi Express, Howrah-Bhubaneswar Shatabdi Express and Howrah-Yesvantpur Express.

The East Coast Railways has also cancelled as many as 198 trains passing through and originating from Odisha.