Odisha races to evacuate 10 lakh people ahead of Cyclone Dana’s landfall

Severe cyclonic storm threatens coastal districts as authorities implement emergency measures

Authorities in Odisha are working urgently to evacuate approximately 1 million people from several coastal districts ahead of the expected landfall of Cyclone Dana tonight. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has reported that the cyclone has intensified into a severe storm, with wind speeds predicted to reach up to 120 kmph, potentially impacting nearly half of the state’s population.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that over 30% of the targeted evacuation had been completed by Wednesday evening. “Three districts are likely to be severely affected. Steps are being taken to evacuate people from danger zones, and the remaining will be taken to safety by 11 am on Thursday,” he stated.

The government has categorized Kendrapara, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts as high-risk zones. Mayurbhanj is designated as a second-category area, where wind speeds are expected to reach 80-90 kmph, gusting to 100 kmph. Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, and Jajpur fall under the third category, with wind speeds projected at 60-80 kmph, gusting to 90 kmph. Puri, Khurda (which includes Bhubaneswar), Dhenkanal, and Keonjhar are classified in the fourth category, where wind speeds are anticipated at 60-70 kmph, gusting to 80 kmph.

As of 5:30 am today, the IMD reported that the cyclone was located 290 km south-southeast of Dhamara in Odisha and 350 km south of Sagar Island in West Bengal. The landfall is expected to occur between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port, both in Odisha.

The Met Department has also issued warnings of extremely heavy to very heavy rainfall in West Bengal, particularly in the districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah, and Hooghly, on Thursday and Friday.

In anticipation of the cyclone, Kolkata airport will suspend flight operations from 6 pm on Thursday to 9 am on Friday, while Bhubaneswar airport will halt operations from 5 pm today until 9 am on Friday. Nearly 200 trains have also been canceled in the two neighboring states due to the cyclone’s approach.

As of Wednesday evening, Odisha had successfully evacuated around 300,000 individuals, while West Bengal has shifted over 114,000 people to shelters, reflecting the urgent response to this severe weather event.

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