Cyclone Dana Highlights: Severe cyclone makes landfall along Odisha-Bengal coasts; rail & flight ops suspended

At least eight districts of the state - Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, and Mayurbhanj - are likely to experience heavy rainfall and the standing paddy crops in those areas may be submerged.

Given this, the National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has come out with an advisory in which the scientists have asked farmers to keep drainage channels open in non-mature paddy crops to drain the excess water out of fields to minimise the loss due to waterlogging.

“Harvested rice should also be properly stacked at safer places and covered with tarpaulin to avoid further damage due to prolonged rainfall,” the advisory said.

It suggested that after the rain stops, the farmers should immediately dry the rice grains under the sun for one or two days to reduce the moisture content and then store the grains in good quality bags to retain their quality, texture, colour, aroma, and taste for a longer period.

(With inputs from PTI)

As cyclone Dana approaches landfall tonight, members of the Red Cross Society and other social organizations are evacuating people living in vulnerable areas of Dhamra in the Bhadrak district. Elderly and ailing individuals are being transported to the cyclone shelter on stretchers.

As Odisha prepares for cyclone Dana, pregnant women, expecting delivery in two weeks have been moved to hospitals. In this instance, a woman named Sai Swopna Behera gave birth to a baby boy at Nialo hospital. Both the baby and the mother are doing well. Disaster response teams are on the ground ensuring safety and medical care for all.

Sujit Bisoyi reports from Odisha

Evacuating old and dilapidated buildings, monitoring electricity lines and setting up a 24-hour control room with emergency teams on standby – as Cyclonic storm Dana continues to barrel towards coastal Odisha and West Bengal, Kolkata braces for its impact.

According to officials, the city is keeping in mind the thousands of old and dilapidated houses that line the city while preparing itself. The city also saw over 5,000 trees uprooted during the Cyclone Amphan that hit Bengal in 2020, and is keeping response teams ready.

“We are already monitoring electricity lines. Special teams will be deployed at every borough office and will clear any fallen trees. The 79 pumping stations in the city have 450 pumps, all of which will stay open the whole of Thursday night. We are fully ready to face this disaster,” said Kolkata mayor and West Bengal’s urban development minister Firhad Hakim.

Giving the latest update about cyclone Dana, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology told PTI, "The forecast of landfall is between midnight to tomorrow morning. The landfall will be between Puri and Sagardeep near Bhitarkarnika and Dhamra. The wind speed during the landfall is expected to be 100-120 kmph. At present, the wind speed in coastal areas in 60-70 kmph. Wind speed will be very high in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Balasore, and Medinipur districts. The intensity of rainfall will increase gradually. A few districts such as Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack are likely to get extremely heavy rainfall."

As of now, 20 NDRF teams, 51 ODRAF teams, 200 fire services teams and 158 platoons of police have been deployed in assisting the local administrations in relief and rescue operations in Odisha.

Sujit Bisoyi reports from Odisha

After reviewing cyclone preparedness in Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi said evacuation will be completed in next few hours. As many as 7285 cyclone shelters have been prepared with basic facilities to accommodate evacuated people and 2339 pregnant women expecting delivery in two weeks have been shifted to various hospitals, Majhi added.

More than 300 trains have been cancelled by Indian Railways in the wake of cyclone Dana. "Railway has taken many steps in view of cyclone 'Dana'. Railway Minister has reviewed our preparations and directed us to ensure as less traffic disruption as possible, so that we can manage during this cyclone effectively," General Manager of East Coast Railway Parmeshwar Funkwal told PTI.

Suggested by Qatar to the World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (WMO/ESCAP), the name Dana means “generosity” in Arabic and was termed according to the standard convention of naming tropical cyclones in the region. WMO/ESCAP, a group of nations, comprises of 13 countries, including Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. While the former eight came together in 2000, the latter five were joined in 2018

Odisha government expects maximum impact in districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Mayurbhanj, Jagatsinghpur and Puri. Six senior IAS officers, who have previous experiences of managing cyclones during their tenure as collectors, have been deployed in these districts to help the local administration. The cyclonic storm may also trigger heavy rainfall in other adjoining districts, leading to flash floods.

As many 13 battalions from West Bengal's disaster management team and 14 battalions of the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) have been deployed in the coastal regions of the state, officials said. The state government has identified 2,82,863 people from the districts of Bankura, Hooghly, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Paschim and Purba Medinipur and Kolkata for evacuation. So far, 1,14,613 people have already been moved to safety, they said.

As around 1 million people are being evacuated in Odisha and West Bengal, ahead of cyclonic storm Dana making a landfall Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port on Friday, more than 300 trains have been cancelled by Indian Railways.

More than 150 express and passenger trains have been cancelled by the South Eastern Railway division. The trains cancelled include Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express, Kamakhya-Yesvantpur AC Express, Howrah-Puri Shatabdi Express, Howrah-Bhubaneswar Shatabdi Express and Howrah-Yesvantpur Express.

The East Coast Railways also cancelled as many as 198 trains including Howrah-Secunderabad, Shalimar Puri, Kamakhya-Bangalore, New Delhi-Bhubaneswar, Kharagpur-Villupuram, Howrah-Bhubaneswar, Shalimar-Hyderbad, Howrah-Puri and others. EMU local train service from Sealdah station and Hasnabad in West Bengal will remain suspended from 8 pm on Thursday to Friday. The Eastern Railways also cancelled several express trains including Patna-Ernakulam Express, Kolkata-Puri, Puri-Kolkata, Dibrugarh-Kanniyakumari, Bengaluru-Guwahati among others. Read more

As cyclone Dana approaches Kendrapara coast, Brahmani River in Odisha has swelled up. Strong currents are seen lashing the shore amid heavy rain, in a video posted by PTI on X. Meanwhile, in West Bengal, dark clouds hover Ganga River in Howrah.

The India Meteorological Department has warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall with extreme heavy downpour in isolated places in south Bengal districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly districts today and tomorrow. Heavy rain has been recorded in parts of West Bengal since morning. As Eastern and South Eastern Railways have cancelled a large number of trains today and tomorrow, public transportation to and from Kolkata's suburbs may get affected from evening.

Former Chief Minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik has a word of caution for people in Odisha. In a post on X, Patnaik wrote, "Awareness and caution will protect us from potential storm 'dana'. Storms have come many times, and we have weathered them with strength. As with all storms, let's take every precaution to stay safe this time too. Taking care of yourself and your loved ones. Fear not, let us all be vigilant."

While the sea condition remain rough in Odisha, the coast belt of the state received heavy rain today morning. The cyclonic storm Dana approaches closer to the state's coast. As strong winds lashed the state, trees were uprooted in different parts and roads in some areas of Balasore, Bhadrak, Bhitarkania and Puri were blocked.

Officials in Odisha are on high alert and remain prepared to tackle adverse situations as cyclone Dana is likely to make landfall tonight. "We have formed eight teams which would cooperate the district administration. In the core range of Bhitarkarnika, we have deployed six teams. There are several challenges... evacuating local people, cleaning the roads, rescuing animals. We have also formed two teams to work on reviving damaged eco-tourism infrastructure as soon as possible," says Manas Kumar Das, Assistant Conservator of Forests, told news agency PTI on preparations to tackle Cyclone Dana impact in #bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary.

The IMD said the weather system lay 290 km south-southeast of Dharma (Odisha) and 350 km south of Sagar Island. It is very likely to move northwestwards and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar island close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamara between 6 pm on Thursday to 12 am on Friday as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph.

Under the impact of cyclonic storm Dana, parts of Jharkhand is expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall from Thursday night. An ‘orange' alert has been issued in the Kolhan region (West Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharswan and East Singhbhum districts) for Friday, a weather department official told PTI.

"Apart from heavy rain, the region might also experience thunderstorms and gusty winds with speeds of up to 60 kmph," Ranchi Meteorological Centre in-charge Abhishek Anand said.

A cyclone is a large-scale system of air that rotates around the centre of a low-pressure area. It is usually accompanied by violent storms and bad weather. A cyclone is characterised by inward spiralling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, according to the NDMA.

Cyclone Dana, expected to generate wind speeds of 100-110 kmph and gusts at 120 kmph, is a tropical cyclone. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) classifies cyclones broadly into two categories: extratropical cyclones and tropical cyclones.

As West Bengal remain braced for the landfall of cyclone Dana, several districts of the state recorded moderate to heavy rain today morning. The cyclonic storm is likely to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha early Friday with wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour (kmph), the weather department said.

Since early hours of Thursday, the coastal districts of the state have been witnessing moderate to heavy rain along with gusty winds while the Kolkata city woke up to an overcast sky and intermittent showers.

With PTI inputs

Advising fishermen not to venture into the sea from October 23 to 25, the weather department warned that wind speed is likely to reach 60 kmph along and off Odisha-West Bengal coasts from October 23 and gradually increase to 120 kmph, from October 24 night till October 25 morning.

As cyclone Dana is likely to make landfall in Odisha tonight, rough sea is witnessed at Kendrapara coast. A video shared by PTI on X shows waves violently lashing the shore as dark cloud looms over the sea.

The India Meteorological Department has warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in south Bengal districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly, and districts in Odisha such as Balasore, Mayurbhanj, and Jajpur today.

The Orissa High Court will remain closed on Thursday and Friday in view of cyclonic storm Dana, according to a notification.

"In view of the upcoming natural calamity, severe cyclonic storm Dana, the functioning of the court and offices of the high court shall remain closed on October 24 & 25," said the notification issued by the registrar (judicial) of the HC on Wednesday, as quoted by news agency PTI.

Flight operations at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar will remain suspended for 16 hours from Thursday evening in view of cyclone Dana.

"Airport operation will be suspended from 5 pm on October 24 to 9 am on October 25 due to cyclone Dana," the statement said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

Over 100 flights operate at the Bhubaneswar airport every day, recording a footfall of nearly about 15,000 people, officials said.

Earlier, the East Coast Railway had cancelled 198 trains that were scheduled from October 23 to 25 in view of the cyclone.

(With inputs from PTI)

In view of severe cyclone 'Dana' approaching the coast, the West Bengal government has evacuated more than 1.14 lakh people from vulnerable areas, including Sundarbans and Sagar Island, to safer shelters, according to an official statement.

To support the evacuation efforts, 13 battalions from West Bengal's disaster management team and 14 battalions of the NDRF have been deployed in the coastal regions of the state, officials said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

The state government has identified 2,82,863 people from the districts of Bankura, Hooghly, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Paschim and Purba Medinipur, and Kolkata for evacuation. So far, 1,14,613 people have already been moved to safety, they added.

The state government has distributed tarpaulins and ensured that dry rations, powdered milk, and drinking water pouches are available across these districts, preparing for the potential crisis, the officials said.

(With inputs from PTI)

The state’s revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said that the process to evacuate 10 lakh people from 14 low-lying areas and villages is underway and will be completed by 11 am tomorrow.

"The evacuation process (from affected areas) is underway, but it will be completed by 11 am tomorrow. Officials have been instructed to complete the evacuation process by 11 am tomorrow," Pujari said.

He had said around 5,000 shelters and relief centres have been prepared by the administration and instructions have been issued to shift people by Wednesday evening.

Popular sea beaches of Odisha wore a deserted look on Wednesday as the state is making preparations to tackle cyclone Dana which is likely to make landfall in the early hours of October 25.

Besides gusting wind, the cyclone will bring torrential rain and tidal waves in the state, because of which the administration has restricted entry of people to the beaches.

Except for some police personnel, no visitors could be found on the seashores of Puri, Gopalpur, Paradip, Chandipur and others.

(PTI)