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The morning of October 25, Friday, will be a tumultuous morning for Odisha and West Bengal. Cyclone Dana emerging from the Bay of Bengal is fully ready to weave its fabric. It is currently close to the Odisha coast and moving north and northwest at a speed of 12 kilometers per hour. Although its speed is lower now, it is likely to reach a speed of 120 to 140 kilometers per hour when it makes landfall in the morning. During this period, strong winds will occur and heavy rain may occur.
Considering the terrifying appearance of ‘Dana’, all preparations have been made. Odisha and West Bengal have been placed on high alert. Three other states also issued alerts. These states are Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. SDRF is deployed in all three states along with NDRF. Kolkata airport is closed. Meanwhile, the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Odisha has been closed for 16 hours.
Where will Dana hit?
According to the Meteorological Department, Cyclone Dana will affect Puri in Odisha and Sagar Island in West Bengal. Cyclone Dana is likely to pass through Bhitakarnika National Park in north Odisha, Dhamla port in Bhadrak district and the West Bengal coast on Friday morning. The maximum impact of this storm will be in Odisha. More than 1 million people had to evacuate ahead of the storm. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi said 30% of one million people had been evacuated as of Wednesday morning.
It is recommended not to go to Jagannath Temple
As Cyclone Dana moves towards the Odisha coast, officials on Thursday advised devotees not to visit the Jagannath Temple in Puri and stepped up preparations to minimize the impact of the disaster on the 12th-century temple . Puri district magistrate Siddharth S Swain said all pilgrims, including devotees on the month-long Kartik fast, should avoid visiting the temple for safety reasons.
The Puri government has taken steps to protect CCTV cameras from damage during the cyclone. Pumps and generator sets, among other equipment, are ready in case of a power outage. Apart from the Sri Jagannath temple, the district administration and ASI have also taken steps to ensure the safety of tourists visiting the 13th-century Sun Temple in Konark. The ASI has closed the Konark temple for two days while the district police banned all tourists from visiting the beach.
Where will it rain when “Dana” moves in?
Moderate to heavy rains and strong winds continued along coastal areas of Bengal since Thursday morning, while Kolkata was cloudy with intermittent rainfall. An advisory from the IMD said it is likely to occur in isolated areas of north and south 24 Parganas, east and west Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly districts of South Bengal on Thursday and Friday. Extremely heavy rain.
What are the preparations for “Dana”?
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said it was on high alert. Ships and aircraft have been deployed to respond to any emergency in the Bay of Bengal. The NDRF, on the other hand, said that their 20 teams are deployed in Odisha only. 17 teams have been deployed in West Bengal. Nine teams each have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand and one team has been deployed in Chhattisgarh. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has also opened a control room at its headquarters and canceled leave for all employees.
Flights at Bhubaneswar airport canceled for 16 hours
Flight operations at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar have been suspended for 16 hours from Thursday evening in view of cyclonic storm ‘Dhana’. The statement said that due to cyclonic storm Dana, flight operations at the airport will continue to be suspended from 5 pm on October 24 to 9 am on October 25. Officials said that more than 100 flights are operated from the Bhubaneswar airport every day and about 15,000 people travel.
190 local trains canceled in Sealdah province
Eastern Railway will halt 190 local train operations on its Sealdah division between 8pm Thursday and 10am Friday in view of Cyclone Dana. An official provided this information. The move is a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of railway passengers. Eastern Railway officials said 190 trains on the Sealdah South and Hasnabad sections will remain cancelled.
Traffic comes to a standstill as trees fall on road
Heavy rain and strong winds hit coastal areas of Odisha on Thursday morning. Paradip recorded maximum rainfall of 62 mm, while Rajnagar in Kendrapara district received 24 mm. Manorama Mohanty, director of the Regional Meteorological Center in Bhubaneswar, said that cyclonic storm Dana is likely to move to the west and southwest, which may bring belts to southern Odisha around October 26. Come rain. Roads were blocked in parts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Bhitakarnika and Puri due to strong winds that uprooted trees, officials said.
Both governments are on alert
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said 350,000 people have been identified from low-lying areas in view of the storm. They are being taken to safety. 204,300 people, 374 people, took refuge in refugee camps. Mamata Banerjee will remain at the Secretariat throughout the evening on Thursday. Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi on the ‘Dharna’ storm. He took stock of preparations for hurricanes. He assured the chief minister that whatever Odisha needs, the central government is ready to provide it immediately.
