10,60,336 — the number of people Odisha is evacuating as cyclone Dana makes landfall tonight

“The state has identified over 3,000 vulnerable locations (villages) across 14 districts, primarily along the coastal belt, and started evacuation procedures. As many as 10,60,336 people are likely to be evacuated before Cyclone Dana makes landfall,” Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said.

Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts are expected to face the maximum impact of the cyclone, which is likely to reach wind velocity of 100-120 kmph, including heavy to very heavy rainfall. Several other coastal and interior districts are also expected to receive rainfall on Thursday and Friday, the IMD predicted.

With senior IAS officers monitoring the situation, the Odisha government has assigned nine districts to nine ministers to supervise relief and rescue activities on the ground.

The Met office has predicted storm surge of around 1 metre (above the astronomical tide) during the landfall, resulting in inundation of low-lying areas in Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts.

With the landfall predicted to be near Bhitarkanika, the second-largest mangrove ecosystem after the Sundarbans, Sudarshan Gopinath Jadhav, DFO, mangrove wildlife division, Rajnagar said, “If the water level increases, there are chances that the crocodiles may move to human settlements. We have formed two teams, each comprising seven persons, and provided them equipment to rescue crocodiles. Five other teams have also been formed for rescue of snakes from human habitations.”

The Orissa HC has announced closure on Thursday and Friday and declared November 30 and December 7 (both Saturdays) as working days.

The preliminary test of the Odisha civil service exam, 2023, which was scheduled to be held on October 27, has been postponed in view of Cyclone Dana, according to a notice issued by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC). A fresh date will be notified after seven days.

– With PTI inputs