The severe cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ is expected to make landfall between Puri and Sagar Island on the intervening night of the 24th and 25th of this month with a wind speed of about 120 km per hour. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), in its latest cyclone bulletin, has said the well-marked low-pressure area over east-central Bay of Bengal will move west-northwestwards and intensify into a depression by tomorrow morning and then become a cyclonic storm by Wednesday over east-central Bay of Bengal.
Thereafter, it will move northwestwards and reach the northwest Bay of Bengal off the Odisha-West Bengal coasts by Thursday morning. It will continue to move northwestwards and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island during the night of Thursday and early morning on Friday as a severe cyclonic storm.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government is gearing up for massive evacuation of people living in low-lying areas of coastal districts. Cyclone shelters are being kept in readiness, while the provision of drinking water during and lighting arrangements are being done. Senior IAS officers have been asked to leave for possible affected districts to monitor relief and rescue operations, while a round-the-clock control room has been opened at the Special Relief Commissioner’s office at Bhubaneswar. Teams of NDRF, ODRAF and Fire Services will move towards coastal districts this evening for relief and rescue operations.
Fishermen have been asked to return from sea by tomorrow. Union Cabinet Secretary has also spoken with the Odisha Chief Secretary on the state’s preparedness to tackle the possible damages due to ‘Dana’. The IMD has predicted very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in most of the coastal districts and some parts of interior Odisha from Wednesday to Friday.
