The morning of 25th October i.e. Friday will be a turbulent morning for Odisha and West Bengal. Cyclone ‘Dana’, which emerged from the Bay of Bengal, is fully ready to weave its fabric. Presently it is close to the coast of Odisha and is moving towards north and north-west at a speed of 12 kilometers per hour. Although its speed is low now, but when it makes landfall in the morning, its speed is likely to be 120 to 140 kilometers per hour. During this period, strong winds will blow and heavy rain may also occur.
Considering the frightening appearance of ‘Dana’, all preparations have already been made. Odisha and West Bengal have been put on high alert. An alert has also been issued in three other states. These states are Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Along with NDRF, SDRF has been deployed in all three states. Kolkata airport has been closed. Along with this, Biju Patnaik International Airport of Odisha has been closed for 16 hours.
Where will ‘Dana’ hit?
According to the Meteorological Department, cyclone ‘Dana’ will impact between Puri in Odisha and Sagar Island in West Bengal. Cyclone ‘Dana’ is likely to cross Bhitarkanika National Park in northern Odisha, Dhamra port in Bhadrak district and West Bengal coasts on Friday morning. The maximum impact of this storm will be in Odisha. More than 10 lakh people have to be evacuated before the storm. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi said that till Wednesday morning, 30 percent of the 10 lakh people have been evacuated.
Advice not to go to Jagannath temple
As Cyclone Dana headed 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 observing month-long Kartik fast, should avoid visiting the temple due to security reasons.
The Puri administration has taken steps to prevent CCTV cameras from getting damaged during the cyclone. Pumps and generator sets along with other equipment are kept ready in case of power cut. Apart from Sri Jagannath Temple, the district administration and ASI have taken steps for 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 has barred all tourists from visiting the beaches.
Where will it rain when ‘Dana’ enters?
The coastal districts of Bengal have been receiving moderate to heavy rains and strong winds since Thursday morning, while it is cloudy in Kolkata and it is raining intermittently. IMD’s bulletin said that extremely heavy rainfall with heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur at isolated places in North and South 24 Parganas, East and West Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly districts of South Bengal on Thursday and Friday. is likely to.
What are the preparations to deal with ‘Dana’?
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said that they are on high alert. Ships and aircraft have been deployed to deal with any emergency situation on the Bay of Bengal. Whereas NDRF said that their 20 teams are deployed only in Odisha. 17 teams are deployed in West Bengal. Nine teams each have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand, while one team has been deployed in Chhattisgarh. Kolkata Municipal Corporation has also opened a control room at its headquarters and canceled leaves of all employees.
Flights canceled for 16 hours at Bhubaneswar airport
In view of cyclonic storm Dana, flight operations at Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar were suspended for 16 hours from Thursday evening. A statement was issued saying that due to cyclonic storm Dana, flight operations at the airport will remain suspended from 5 pm on October 24 to 9 am on October 25. Officials said that more than 100 flights are operated daily at Bhubaneswar airport, in which about 15 thousand people travel.
190 local trains canceled in Sealdah division
In view of cyclonic storm Dana, Eastern Railway will not operate 190 local trains in its Sealdah division from 8 pm on Thursday to 10 am on Friday. An officer gave this information. This step has been taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of railway passengers. Eastern Railway official said that 190 trains will remain canceled in Sealdah South and Hasnabad sections.
Traffic came to a halt due to trees falling on the roads
There was heavy rain and stormy winds in the coastal areas of Odisha on Thursday morning. Paradip received maximum rainfall of 62 mm, while Rajnagar in Kendrapara district received 24 mm rainfall. Manorama Mohanty, Director of Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, said that cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ is likely to move towards west and west-south, which may cause rain in southern Odisha around October 26. Officials said that roads have been blocked in some areas of Balasore, Bhadrak, Bhitarkanika and Puri due to uprooting of trees due to strong winds.
Governments of both the states on alert mode
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said that 3.5 lakh people from low-lying areas have been identified in view of the storm. They are being taken to safe places. 2 lakh 43 thousand 374 people have taken shelter in the camps. Mamata Banerjee will remain in the Secretariat the entire night of Thursday. Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi regarding the ‘Dana’ storm. He took stock of the preparations made to deal with the cyclone. He assured the Chief Minister that whatever Odisha needs, the Central Government is ready to provide it immediately.
