Cyclone Dana Highlights: 1 dead in West Bengal; cyclone Dana weakens into deep depression

All schools in Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Keonjhar, and Mayurbhanj will remain shut on Saturday due to heavy rain caused by the cyclone, Odisha Daily Sambad reported.

Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi reviewed cyclone damage and the current situation during a meeting at the Special Relief Commissioner's office.

He said in a post on X, "Relief and rescue operations are being carried out on a wartime basis. Officials have been directed to expedite it further. The government has successfully dealt with the storm by focusing on the main goal of 'Zero Casualty'."

‘Severe’ Cyclonic storm Dana, which made landfall between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra in Odisha, brought rain and strong winds to many parts of the neighbouring West Bengal, particularly East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas.

Addressing reporters Friday, Banerjee said one person had died of electrocution in Patharpratima, South 24 Parganas district.

According to the CM, state authorities had evacuated 2.16 lakh people. She also ordered a survey to assess crop loss to farmers and gave district authorities 48 hours to send in their reports. Read More

All schools in Bhadrak and Jajpur districts of Odisha will remain closed tomorrow (October 26) in view of heavy rain triggered by cyclonic storm ‘Dana’.

Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday praised health worker Sibani Mandal for her "selfless service during severe cyclone Dana" that made landfall in the state earlier during the day.

Majhi praised ASHA worker Mandal for carrying multiple people on her back to a cyclone shelter amid heavy rains, including a paralytic woman whom she transported for 1.5 km from her village in Rajnagar.

Mandal, who works at the Rajnagar Group Health Centre, took it upon herself to ensure the safety of Khasmunda residents before the cyclone hit.

Majhi conveyed his gratitude to her over the phone, saying, "This is how you help everyone in times of danger. May Lord Sri Jagannath bless you always."

(With inputs from PTI)

The cyclone has weakened to a deep depression after making landfall on the Odisha coast as a severe storm in the early hours today. The Indian Meteorological Department said it is expected to move westward across northern Odisha and gradually weaken further within the next 12 hours.

Amid Cyclone Dana’s impending landfall, Digha State General Hospital welcomed two new lives. Two pregnant women, safely evacuated from their homes, gave birth to a baby boy and a baby girl each.

One of the new fathers, Shibu Das, expressed his relief and gratitude. “My wife, Sushmita, was due on October 22. As the cyclone approached, our anxiety grew. Thankfully, the state administration was prepared. An ASHA worker evacuated her in an ambulance, and she was brought here just in time,” he told The Indian Express.

Sushmita delivered a healthy baby girl. Overjoyed, Shibu decided to name her “Brishti,” meaning “rain.” He explained, “It was raining heavily the night she was born. I wanted to remember that special moment forever.” Das is a resident of Padima 2, a flood and cyclone-prone area of Purba Medinipur district. She was brought to the hospital on October 24, the day of her child’s birth. Read More

Rain lashed parts of Jharkhand on Friday under the influence of cyclonic storm Dana, a Met Department official said.

The Kolhan region of Jharkhand comprising West Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharswan, and East Singhbhum districts witnessed spells of light to moderate rainfall since Thursday night, while other parts of the state are experiencing cloudy weather coupled with intermittent rains.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday said he was continuously monitoring the cyclonic system for the last 24 hours.

"I am taking hourly information on this issue. Several steps have also been taken as precautionary measures mainly in East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, and Saraikela-Kharsawan districts," the CM posted on X.

(With inputs from PTI)

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, while reviewing the state situation after cyclone Dana’s landfall, said that electricity services are expected to be fully restored in the affected areas by 6 pm.

He said that over 570 families are still in waterlogged conditions due to the cyclone.

He will hold another review meeting this evening to discuss the damage caused by the severe cyclonic storm, Odisha daily Sambad reported.

As Cyclone Dana made landfall, the Indian Coast Guard mobilized 11 ships, 05 aircraft, and 14 Disaster Relief Teams to tackle the challenges ahead. 

The State Control Room has been made operational 24/7 (0674-2390466), with staff to monitor affected districts, the Health & Family Welfare Department said in a post on X.

Three senior officials have been deputed to Kendrapara, Balasore, and Bhadrak to monitor preparedness and help local health administrations.

Additionally, 18 extra doctors, along with 20 pharmacy officers and 30 multi-purpose health workers, have been deployed to the affected areas.

In a post on X, the H & FW department said, "4797 pregnant women having an estimated date of delivery within 2 weeks have been shifted to Maa Gruha hospitals."

Cyclone Dana spared Odisha and West Bengal of any severe damage to infrastructure, while flight and rail operations resumed on Friday after the cyclonic storm completed landfall, triggering heavy rains and uprooting of trees and electric poles.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said one person died due to the cyclone, while Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi said that the state achieved its ‘zero casualty mission.’

CM Majhi said that all the roads blocked by uprooted trees would be cleared during the day as the rescue team personnel had already started working as soon as the intensity of the wind reduced on Thursday night. "By 6 pm on Friday, electricity will be restored in all places including the worst-hit Kendrapara, Balasore, and Bhadrak district," he said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

Meanwhile, CM Mamata Banerjee, who held a review meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna after spending the night there to monitor the situation, directed the officials to ensure that relief materials reach all those affected by the cyclone.

(With inputs from PTI)

Helpline numbers for health-related emergencies for people living in affected areas of Odisha

Disaster response teams in Odisha's Mayurbhanj conducted extensive restoration operations throughout affected areas, clearing blocked roads, repairing power infrastructure, and rebuilding essential services.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that one person died in the state in cyclone Dana, even as the administration evacuated around 2.16 lakh people from the low-lying areas.

Banerjee, who held a review meeting at the state secretariat after spending the night there to monitor the situation, directed the officials to ensure that relief materials reach all those affected by the cyclone.

"Only one person died in this natural disaster. The man died at his residence while conducting some cable-related work. It is quite unfortunate. The postmortem examination will give us a clear picture. If required we (state government) will help the family," Banerjee said.

(With inputs from PTI)

In the aftermath of the landfall of cyclone Dana, parts of Odisha recorded heavy rainfall. According to the regional meteorological centre the highest rainfall of 158.6 mm was recorded at Chandbali in Bhadrak district during the last 24 hours (8.30 am on Thursday to 8.30 am on Friday) while Rajkanika area of Kendrapara district received 156 mm rainfall.

Basudevpur in Bhadrak district, Oupada in Balasore district and Marsaghai and Rajnagar in Kendrapara district received rainfall of more than 100 mm during the period, according to the weather office.

Kendrapara district received 85.9 mm rainfall during the last 24 hours while Bhadrak district recorded a rainfall of 67.1 mm. Balasore, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj districts recorded rainfall of 52.6 mm, 38.9 mm and 35 mm during the period, respectively.

The other districts, which received heavy rainfall are—Cuttack (26.5 mm), Khurda (23.7), Nayagarh (23.1), Angul (20.7), Dhenkanal (17), Puri (16.2) and Jagatsinghpur (16).

With PTI inputs

The IMD has issued an alert for heavy to very heavy rain in Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and Jhargram till Friday, while heavy rain may continue till Saturday in Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, and South 24 Parganas. The IMD said that in West Bengal, East Midnapore was likely to be most affected by the cyclone. Tourists were asked to evacuate the hotels in beach destinations Digha and Mandarmani, while meteorologists said that the height of the waves would be much higher than “normal”.

With packing wind speeds ranging between 85-90 km/hr gusting to 105km/hr likely to prevail in association with the storm, the IMD has issued a ‘red’ alert on Friday for Odisha and West Bengal where extremely heavy rainfall (over 200mm in 24-hours) is likely.

Baleswar, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Khordha, Puri, North and South 24 Parganas, East and West Medinipur, Jhargram, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata and Bankura districts will be affected. An ‘orange’ alert exists for southern Jharkhand districts, Kerala and Mahe on Friday whereas a ‘yellow’ alert has been issued for Bihar, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and south interior Karnataka on the day.

Gale wind with speeds ranging between 100-110km/hour gusting to 120km/hr shall prevail along the coasts of north Odisha and east Medinipur, with the IMD warning fishermen against venturing into the sea.

An elderly woman died at a cyclone shelter in Odisha's Kendrapara district, officials told PTI. The 82-year-old woman identified as Hemalata Nayak of Bankual village died on Thursday night of suspected cardiac arrest at a cyclone shelter set up at Kalyan Mandap Dangamal under Dangamal gram panchayat under Rajnagar block of Kendrapara district, they said.

"The woman died of cardiac arrest and not related to cyclone related incident," Block Development Officer (BDO) of Rajnagar block, Nishant Mishra said.

With PTI inputs

The landfall process of 'severe' cyclone Dana took nearly 10 hours and is being seen as one of the slow moving storms after it moved to land. With this, its intensity, too, has reduced to the cyclone category, the IMD said.

As per the latest location updates, the storm was located 30 km northeast of Bhadrak and 50 km north-northwest of Dhamra. Gale wind with speeds ranging between 100-110km/hour gusting to 120km/hr shall prevail along the coasts of north Odisha and east Medinipur, with the IMD warning fishermen against venturing into the sea.

The cyclonic storm Dana moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph and lay centered near latitude 21.25 degree north and longitude 86.70 degree East at 9:30 hours on Friday, over north coastal Odisha, about 30 km northeast of Bhadrak and 50 km north-northwest of Dhamara. It is likely to move northwestwards across north Odisha and weaken gradually into a deep depression during the next six hours, IMD said in a post on X.

“All night” on Thursday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stayed at Nabanna, the headquarters of state administration, to monitor Cyclone Dana and issue necessary instructions to officials. 

The cyclone made landfall at 3.30 am on Friday, following which it has been heavily raining in the state since morning, while winds are blowing in coastal areas. According to the state administration, while the cyclone largely affected Odisha, West Bengal’s coastal areas may mostly be flooded rather than “affected by the storm”.

The Chief Minister also instructed District Magistrates to make a list estimating of total damage caused by the cyclone. She will reportedly hold a video conference with district magistrates of eight affected districts on Friday at 1 pm. 

There were reports of damage to thatched houses and disruption of road transportation in some parts of Odisha’s northern districts due to trees being uprooted. Electricity lines have also been damaged in some areas. Crops were also damaged by the cyclone, and the CM said collectors of affected districts have been asked to submit damage assessment reports. The government is likely to announce assistance for people whose crops have been affected and houses damaged.

Train services on the south section of the Sealdah Division under the Eastern Railway resumed at 10 am after scheduled cancellations due to the cyclone, officials said. The first train to resume service was a Sonarpur local and other services will be restored gradually during the day, a railway official said.

More than 170 express and passenger trains scheduled between October 23 and 27, along the routes in West Bengal,

Odisha and Jharkhand were cancelled by the South Eastern Railway. The Eastern Railway cancelled 68 suburban trains in the Howrah division for Friday morning, while all EMU local trains from Sealdah station were suspended from Thursday evening till October 25 morning.

With PTI inputs

With PTI inputs

After the landfall process of severe cyclonic storm Dana has been completed, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said no deaths were reported in the state and their zero-casualty mission was successful.

NDRF teams have been braving heavy rains and gusty winds as removal of fallen trees and road clearing is underway in Odisha. NDRF inspector, Vikram told news agency ANI, "We are deployed in Paradip, especially for port entry to Nehru Bangla area... We have been clearing roads since morning, 4:00 am... Cyclone has been moderate here..."

As weather conditions remained normal for flight operations, Biju Patnaik International Airport restarted its functioning at 8 am today morning. "Normal operations were to start at 9 am but we have preponed it to 8 am. We have followed all post-cyclone procedures. Our teams have inspected operational areas, terminal building and city side and we have resumed operations," Bhubaneswar Airport Director, Prasanna Pradhan told news agency PTI.

As several people stay at shelter camps in Odisha, each one shares different pangs. While Mamata Dalai, about whom we mentioned earlier (scroll down to read what she said), has no recollection of a cyclone, 60-year-old Annapurna Dalai remembers the 1999 super cyclone well. She recalled that food packets and other essentials were airdropped from military helicopters at the time .

“We earn our livelihood from the sea and consider it sacred. If we have to die because of the sea, we will have no regrets. We have lived our life,” Annapurna told The Indian Express.

Among the high-profile visitors at the Chandinipal shelter was state minister Suryavanshi Suraj, who represents the nearby Dhamnagar Assembly constituency. When he arrived, a group of people at the shelter started airing their grievances, mainly about not getting a pucca house. The minister promised them that the issue would be resolved.

After several tree felling incidents were reported in Odisha in the aftermath of cyclone Dana making landfall, the NDRF and ODRAF teams have started restoration work. The rescue teams have been braving gusty winds and heavy rain in Dhamra area of Bhadrak district.

"There is no report of any casualty. There has been massive damage to electrical installations due to tree falling. Roads are being cleared," Odisha Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj was quoted as saying by PTI.

Ajay Mohanty, Tehsildar of Rajnagar in Kendrapada district said that there has been no major damage in the Bhitarkanika area except uprooting of some trees and damage to some thatched houses.

With PTI inputs