As cyclone Dana roars in, 6 lakh get out of the way, trains and flights halted

The cyclone is predicted to trigger heavy to very heavy rain in northern and coastal parts of the state, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red alert for Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Balasore, and Mayurbhanj districts. The IMD has also predicted high tides during the landfall, which may cause largescale inundation. Damage to electric and telecommunication lines, and the disruption of road transport are expected.

Evacuated people at the Chandinipal shelter near Dhamra. (Express)

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday reviewed the state’s preparedness. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keeping a close watch on the situation and assured that the Centre would extend all support to the state government to deal with the situation.

At a late-night press conference, the CM said: “Nearly six lakh people have so far been evacuated by the administration and accommodated in nearly 8,000 shelters.”

He added: “Emphasising on proper care of pregnant women, the state government has moved as many as 4,431 pregnant women to hospitals. It is a happy matter that 1,600 of these women have delivered their babies. All the mothers and babies are safe.”

Majhi also said that he spoke to PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and updated them about the preparedness of the state government. “They have assured all support from the Centre to deal with the situation,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the CM discussed with district collectors the need for immediate restoration of essential services like electricity and water supply, and the restoration of road transport in the aftermath of the cyclone’s landfall.

As many as 92 medical teams and 58 veterinary teams have been sent to vulnerable districts to extend medical aid to people and animals.

Twenty National Disaster Response Force teams, 51 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force teams, 178 fire service teams, and over 200 platoons of police personnel have been deployed in these districts.

Officials said the state machinery was relying on past “best practices” to achieve its “zero casualty” mission.

Odisha, which lost over 10,000 people during the super cyclone of 1999, has strengthened its disaster management mechanism over the years and emerged as a leader in the field, earning kudos for its management of cyclones like Phailin in 2013, Hudhud in 2014, Titli in 2018, and Fani in 2019.

This time, soon after the IMD confirmed formation of a cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal, the state government activated its mechanism, turning over 6,400 school buildings into temporary cyclone shelters to function alongside its 840 multi-purpose cyclone shelters.

Senior bureaucrats with experience of handling cyclones in the past have been called in and assigned districts that are likely to be impacted. Ministers have also been sent to vulnerable districts to supervise the relief and rescue operation.

“Odisha today has a robust mechanism to deal with any kind of natural disaster. We didn’t have to think out of the box as we relied on previous strategies with which we had successfully managed cyclones more severe than Dana and ensured zero casualty,” an officer said.