New Delhi: Cyclone Dana struck the Odisha coast today, causing widespread damage, uprooting trees, disrupting power lines, and resulting in one fatality in West Bengal. The cyclone made landfall between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra, with wind speeds reaching 100-110 kmph.
Here are 10 key updates on Cyclone Dana:
- Landfall and Impact: Cyclone Dana made landfall around midnight on the Odisha coast, impacting districts such as Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore, and Jagatsinghpur. Winds of up to 110 kmph accompanied by heavy rainfall caused significant damage to infrastructure.
- Landfall Completion: According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the landfall process was completed by 10 am today, with the cyclone moving inland over a span of eight and a half hours.
- Cyclone Weakening: Cyclone Dana, named by Qatar, is expected to weaken gradually over the next six hours as it moves further inland, as per IMD forecasts.
- Odisha’s Resilience: In Odisha, trees were uprooted, and some areas were flooded. However, Odisha’s Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that the state had achieved its “Zero Casualty Mission,” with no fatalities or injuries reported due to the cyclone’s impact.
- Fatalities in West Bengal: In West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, a person was killed in Patharpratima while working on a cable during the storm. Cyclone impacts were also felt in East Midnapore and Kolkata, where waterlogging and damage to infrastructure were widespread.
- Flight Operations: As a precaution, flight services at Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport and Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport were temporarily suspended. However, services resumed at 8 am today following the cyclone’s passage.
- Preventive Measures: Both Odisha and West Bengal authorities took extensive preventive measures, including evacuating lakhs of people, closing schools, canceling over 400 trains, and suspending flight operations in anticipation of the storm’s severity.
- Evacuations in Odisha: Odisha’s government, under Chief Minister Majhi, evacuated 5.8 lakh people and mobilized 385 rescue teams, including personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), fire service, and forest staff, to assist in relief operations.
- Relief Camps in West Bengal: In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reported that 2,43,374 people had been relocated to relief camps for safety. The state also activated various agencies to ensure prompt response to the cyclone’s effects.
- CM Banerjee’s Vigilance: Mamata Banerjee remained at the state secretariat throughout the night, closely monitoring the situation and ensuring that necessary precautions were being taken in response to the cyclone’s impact.
As the cyclone continues to move inland and weaken, authorities remain on high alert, ensuring that rescue and relief operations continue to reach affected areas.
