Cyclone Dana hit coastal Odisha with heavy winds and lashes of water. The cyclone Dana is classified as a severe cyclonic storm having wind speeds reaching up to 110 kmph. As per the IMD, the cyclone made landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra shortly after midnight on Thursday and is expected to continue into Friday morning.
As per the reports, the coastal districts of Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore and nearby Jagatsinghpur districts witnessed heavy speed winds leading to uprooting of trees. The uprooted trees also blocked the roads in some areas.
Taking to social media platform X, the IMD updated, “Landfall process has commenced. It lay near latitude 20.5° N and longitude 87.1°E, about 50 km east-northeast of Paradip (Odisha), 40 km south-southeast of Dhamara (Odisha) and 160 km southwest of Sagar Island (West Bengal).”
Here Are 10 Updates On Cyclone Dana
- Cyclone Dana made landfall on the Odisha coast around midnight, lashing the districts of Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore, and Jagatsinghpur with wind speeds reaching 110 km/h and torrential rainfall.
- In a 10 a.m. update, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that Cyclone Dana’s landfall process had concluded, taking approximately eight and a half hours to fully move inland.
- The weather agency reported that Cyclone Dana, named by Qatar, is expected to gradually weaken over the next six hours.
- Reports from Odisha indicate widespread tree uprooting and localized flooding due to Cyclone Dana. However, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced the success of the state’s “Zero Casualty Mission,” confirming no reported loss of life or injuries from the severe storm.
- In neighboring West Bengal, a man lost his life in Patharpratima, South 24 Parganas, while working on a cable during Cyclone Dana. East Midnapore and Kolkata also felt the storm’s effects, with reports of waterlogging in multiple areas.
- Flight services at Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport and Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, suspended Thursday evening as a precaution, resumed operations at 8 a.m. today.
- Authorities in both Odisha and West Bengal undertook mass evacuations, relocating hundreds of thousands of residents, closing schools, canceling over 400 trains, and suspending flights as they prepared for the severe cyclonic storm.
- The Mohan Charan Majhi-led government in Odisha reported the evacuation of approximately 5.8 lakh people, deploying 385 rescue teams, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), and personnel from Fire Services and Forest departments.
- In Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reported that 2,43,374 people had taken shelter in relief camps.
- She also stayed the entire Thursday night at the state secretariat and personally monitored the situation.