Heavy rain and gusty winds lashed Odisha and West Bengal as the severe cyclonic storm Dana made its landfall on Thursday night. The coastal districts of Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore and nearby Jagatsinghpur district witnessed sudden increase in wind speed which reached 100 kmph to 110 kmph and extremely heavy rain.
Flight operations, which were suspended in both Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in West Bengal and Bhubaneswar Airport in view of the cyclone, resumed at 8 am today. The storm is likely to move west-northwestwards across north Odisha and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm by today’s forenoon, the India Meteorological Department said in a post on X.
With the weather department predicting flash floods, both Odisha and SWest BEngal governments remain on high alert and train and flight operations in both the states have been suspended. There has been no report of any major damage or casualty so far. However, officials have cautioned that when the centre of the system reaches land, which is predicted for today morning, wind speeds are expected to reach 120 kmph.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the state had identified more than 3.5 lakh people for evacuation from low-lying areas. As of Thursday, 243,374 people had already taken shelter in relief camps.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also reviewed the state’s preparedness for the approaching cyclone Dana with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and reassured central support. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Deputy Inspector General Mohsen Shahedi said that 20 teams are deployed in Odisha and 17 teams in West Bengal in preparation for severe cyclonic storm Dana’s landfall.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi confirmed that around 5.84 lakh people have been evacuated from low-lying coastal areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah inquired about the country’s preparedness to deal with the cyclone.