As Odisha and West Bengal brace for Cyclone Dana, which is likely to make landfall in Odisha’s Puri and West Bengal’s Sagar Island on Thursday night and Friday, both the states have started evacuating people from areas likely to be hit by the storm.
Rescue teams, including personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have reached both states and educational institutions have been closed in the affected areas.
More than 150 trains running on the South Eastern Railway have been canceled due to the storm, the news agency said. The PTI report.
A deep depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal has moved westward and is centered around 670 km from Odisha’s Paradip and 720 km from Sagar Island, as of 11.30 pm on Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The depression is “likely” to intensify into a severe storm during the next 12 hours over the Bay of Bengal, the weather agency said. Then it will intensify into a super typhoon, Dana, and will hit Puri and Sagar Island on Thursday night and Friday morning.
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that Odisha is likely to be the worst affected, with heavy to heavy rain and strong winds.
Here are the top developments as Odisha, Bengal prepares for Cyclone Dana
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20 teams of NDRF in Odisha and 14 teams in West Bengal are on standby ahead of the storm.
Additional rescue and relief teams from the Army, Navy and Coast Guard as well as ships and aircraft were kept on standby.
The state government has raised Distance Cautionary (DC-I) signals at three major ports – Gopalpur, Paradip and Dhamara ahead of Cyclone Dana.
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The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said it is on high alert, with its dedicated personnel and equipment ready to provide assistance, rescue and relief.
The ICG has deployed helicopters and remote operating stations at Haldia in West Bengal and Paradip in Odisha to broadcast regular weather warnings and safety advice to fishermen and sailors.
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An Odisha government official told the media The PTI that apart from 20 teams from NDRF, 51 teams from Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and 178 fire teams have also been deployed in the vulnerable districts.
The state government has planned to evacuate more than 10 lakh people from 3,000 villages in 14 districts to relief camps, the statement said.
Multipurpose cyclone shelters, flood shelters and other structures have been identified to shelter residents of districts likely to be affected by Cyclone Dana in Odisha.
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The West Bengal government on Tuesday issued quarantine orders to seven districts in the state after growing concern over Cyclone Dana.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the government was ready to deal with the issue and was handling the situation through a 24×7 control room.
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Schools will remain closed in seven districts of West Bengal from Wednesday to Saturday as a precautionary measure against the cyclone.
The districts likely to be hit by Cyclone Dana in West Bengal include South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur, along with coastal areas and neighboring districts like Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Jhargram, and Hooghly.
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More than 150 trains have been canceled as a precautionary measure, including Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express, Kamakhya-Yesvantpur AC Express, Howrah-Puri Shatabdi Express, Howrah-Bhubaneswar Shatabdi Express and Howrah-Yesvantpur Express.
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Odisha Finance and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said more than 5,000 relief centers have been set up with modern facilities to provide water, food and milk to children and medicine to the injured.
“We are expecting about 10 lakh people,” he was quoted as saying The PTI as he said.
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All educational institutions including schools, colleges and universities will be closed in 14 districts of Odisha from Wednesday to Friday due to this storm.
Educational institutions will be closed in Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Angul, Khordha, Nayagarh and Cuttack districts.
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The Odisha government on Tuesday announced the closure of two wildlife hotspots – Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district and Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district. Both regions have been identified as red zones ahead of the typhoon
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