Dana cyclone intensifies, to make landfall between Odisha-West Bengal
As Cyclone Dana approaches the Odisha coast, expected to make landfall by October 25, the state is preparing to evacuate around 10 lakh people from several coastal districts.
Meanwhile, more than 1.14 lakh people in West Bengal have already been moved to shelters as a precautionary measure.
Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who reviewed the state government’s preparedness, said only 30 per cent of the people, or around 3-4 lakh people living in the identified ‘danger zone’, have been evacuated by Wednesday evening.
Cyclone Dana, with wind speeds expected to reach up to 120 kmph (75 mph), is likely to hit between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha by Friday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Cyclonic storm ‘Dana’, formed over east-central Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, is set to bring heavy rainfall in several southern West Bengal districts, including Kolkata, the IMD said.
The Eastern and South Eastern railways cancelled a large number of trains on October 24 and 25, in view of the cyclone.
The storm is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm over northwest Bay of Bengal. Cyclone Dana lay 420 km southeast of Paradip, 450 km south-southeast of Dhamara and 500 km south-southeast of Sagar Island at 8.30 am on Wednesday, the IMD said.
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.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has opened a control room at its headquarters here and cancelled the leaves of all essential staff to tackle any emergency.
The Odisha power department announced helpline numbers 8900793503, 19221 (WBSEDCL) and 1912 (CESC) for the public to call in case of any emergency.