GG News Bureau
Bhubaneswar, 24th Oct. Severe cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ was within 200 km of Odisha’s coast on Thursday afternoon, with several parts of the state experiencing heavy rain, squally winds, and rough sea conditions, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The Odisha government accelerated evacuation efforts across coastal districts as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi held a review meeting, directing officials to ensure “zero casualty” from the storm.
The cyclone is expected to make landfall early Friday between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port, with wind speeds reaching up to 120 km/h, the IMD reported. The storm moved north-northwestwards at 12 km/h over the past six hours, positioning 210 km southeast of Paradip, 240 km south-southeast of Dhamra, and 310 km south of Sagar Island.
“It is very likely to cross the north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamra during midnight of October 24 to morning of October 25,” the IMD said in its latest bulletin.
Reports of uprooted trees in Balasore, Bhadrak, Bhitarkanika, and Puri districts were received, resulting in blocked roads, officials noted.
Majhi confirmed that approximately 3 lakh people have been evacuated to cyclone shelters, with evacuation efforts ongoing. The state has set up 7,285 cyclone shelters, deployed 91 medical teams, and engaged 19 NDRF teams, 51 ODRAF teams, and fire services personnel for evacuations and clearing blocked roads.
Paradip recorded the highest rainfall of 62 mm in the past four hours, followed by 24 mm in Rajnagar, Kendrapara district, as per the IMD.
The IMD has issued a ‘red warning’ for heavy to very heavy rainfall across Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Jajpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, and Jagatsinghpur districts, and an ‘orange warning’ for heavy rain in Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, and Dhenkanal.
Manorama Mohanty, Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, stated that the cyclone might recurve towards the west and west-southwards post-landfall, causing rain in southern Odisha around October 26. However, the landfall predictions remain unchanged.
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