The cyclonic storm Dana is likely to make landfall between Odisha's Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha tonight with wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour (kmph), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. As per the weather bulletin issued by the weather watchdog, the weather system is located at 280 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha) and 370 km south-southeast of Sagar Island (West Bengal).
"Landfall will begin on the night of October 24 and continue till the morning of October 25. The maximum wind speed during this time is likely to be around 120 kmph," IMD Director-General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
As the cyclonic storm is inching towards the state's coast, several districts of West Bengal received moderate to heavy rain on Thursday morning.
The weather department has warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy downpours in isolated places in the south Bengal districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly districts on October 24 and 25.
Cyclone Dana: Key points
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.
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.
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. In Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “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.
Evacuations in Odisha and Bengal
Odisha
According to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, over 30 percent of the targeted 10 lakh people have been evacuated to safe places by Wednesday evening.
Further reviewing the situation, the chief minister said, “Three districts are likely to be severely affected. Steps are being taken to evacuate people from danger zones...So far, 30 per cent of the targeted 10 lakh people have been evacuated...the remaining will be taken to safety by 11 am on Thursday."
“The government is fully prepared to tackle the situation. You are in safe hands,” Majhi said to the public through the media.
Bengal
In West bengal, over 1.14 lakh people in West Bengal have been evacuated to safer shelters so far, with severe cyclone 'Dana' approaching the adjacent Odisha coast, officials said on Wednesday.
Coastal districts in both Odisha and West Bengal are preparing for heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds on October 24 and 25.
The Mamata Banerjee-led state government identified 2,82,863 people from the districts of Bankura, Hooghly, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Paschim and Purba Medinipur, and Kolkata for evacuation. So far, 1,14,613 people, mostly from the coastal areas of South 24 Parganas, including Sagar Island, the Sundarbans, and Kakdwip, have been moved to safety.
Trains cancelled in Bengal
A large number of trains have been cancelled by the Eastern and South Eastern railways on October 24 and 25. While over 170 express and passenger trains running through South Eastern Railway (SER) jurisdiction have been cancelled, the Eastern Railway (ER) will not operate any EMU local train from Sealdah station in its south and Hasnabad sections from 8 pm on October 24 till 10 am on October 25.
Ferry services in the Sunderbans area spread over North and South 24 Parganas districts and also across River Hooghly in Kolkata and adjoining areas will remain cancelled in view of the impending inclement weather, officials said.
Airports suspend ops ahead of landfall
Kolkata
In view of the predictions of adverse weather conditions, the Kolkata airport authorities suspended flight operations for 15 hours from 6 pm on Thursday.
“In view of cyclone Dana's impact on the coastal region of West Bengal, including Kolkata, it has been decided to suspend the flight operations from 6 pm on October 24 to 9 am on October 25 due to predicted heavy winds and heavy to very heavy rainfall at Kolkata,” an Airports Authority of India (AAI) spokesperson said.
“To ensure the safety of passengers and aircraft, all stakeholders including ATC, CNS (communication, navigation and surveillance department), chairman and vice-chairman of AOC (airport operators committee), unanimously decided to suspend operations,” Kolkata airport Director Dr Pravat Ranjan Beuria told PTI.
Bhubaneshwar
Likewise, Flight operations will remain suspended at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar as well for 16 hours from Thursday evening.
"Airport operation will be suspended from 5 pm on October 24 to 9 am on October 25 due to cyclone Dana," the official statement said.
