Fishermen bring their boat to the dock after the water level of Dhamra river swelled in view of cyclone ‘Dana’ which is expected to make landfall in Odisha, at Dhamra in Bhadrak district of Odisha, Thursday, Oct 24, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
“The severe cyclonic storm “Dana” moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph and lay centred over north coastal Odisha, about 15 km north of Dhamara and 30 km north-northwest of Habalikhati nature camp (Bhitarkanika),” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) posted on X.
“It is likely to move nearly west-northwestwards across north Odisha and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm by the forenoon of today (October 25, 2024). The system is under continuous surveillance of the Doppler weather radar at Paradip,” it said.
Also read: Cyclone Dana LIVE Updates
According to an official statement, Odisha has made extensive preparations to tackle the cyclone’s impact. The State has set up 5209 cyclone shelters and evacuated over 3,62,000 people from vulnerable areas, including 3654 pregnant women who have been relocated to nearby hospitals.
Six hours prior to the landfall, the outer layer of cyclonic storm had surrounded Odisha’s coastal region, causing widespread rain and wind Thursday evening. Trees were uprooted and power infrastructure was hit at isolated places in Bhadrak and Kendrapara districts while disaster response forces cautiously treaded to remove obstructions along road.
Here are some key details about its landfall, and the measures being taken by authorities.
Current location: As of 5.30 a.m. IST on Friday (October 25, 2024), the severe cyclonic storm moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph and lay centred.
Evacuation: As many as 4,17,626 lakh people have been evacuated in Odisha by 9 p.m. IST and nearly 2,43,374 people had already taken shelter in relief camps in West Bengal.
Impact on travel:
Flight: The Kolkata airport suspended flight operations for 15 hours from 6 p.m. on Thursday evening (October 24, 2024). Kolkata airport will resume operations from 9 a.m. on Friday (October 25, 2024). Flight services remained suspended at the Biju Patnaik International Airport for 16 hours from 5 p.m. IST on Thursday(October 24, 2024).
Railway: East Coast Railway has diverted, or short-terminated or cancelled around 203 trains to ensure public safety. Public transportation to and from Kolkata’s suburbs may be affected from the evening, as Eastern and South Eastern railways cancelled a large number of trains on Thursday and Friday. Eastern Railway (ER) will not operate any EMU local train from Sealdah station on its south and Hasnabad sections from 8 p.m. on Thursday till 10 a.m. on Friday (October 25, 2024). The ER also cancelled 68 suburban trains on the Howrah division on Friday (October 25, 2024) morning.
Ferry: Ferry services in the Sunderbans area spread over North and South 24 Parganas districts and also across river Hooghly in Kolkata and adjoining areas will remain cancelled.
Warning: IMD issued a ‘red warning’ (take action) for heavy to very heavy rainfall and wind speed of 100 kmph to 110 kmph in four districts – Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur – on Thursday (October 24, 2024) night. Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea, the Met Department said gale wind with speeds reaching 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph is prevailing over the northwest Bay of Bengal. The cyclonic storm is set to bring heavy rainfall in several south Bengal districts, including Kolkata.
Helpline numbers for Odisha: BALESORE: 06782-262286 / 261077 MAYURBHANJ: 06792-252759 / 252941 BHADRAK: 06784-251881 JAJPUR: 06728-222648 KENDRAPADA: 06727-232803 KEONJHAR: 06766-255437 JAGATSINGHPUR: 06724-220368 CUTTACK: 0671-2507842 DHENKANAL: 06762-226507 / 221376 PURI: 06752-223237 BMC (BBSR) TOLL FREE NUMBER-1929 EMERGENCY RESPONSE SUPPORT SYSTEM: 112
Helpline numbers for West Bengal: 24X7 helpline: 2214 3526 WEST BENGAL POLICE: 033 22145486 / 22141988 WEST MEDINIPUR DISTRICT CONTROL ROOM: 03222 267983 WEST MEDINIPUR SPECIAL CONTROL ROOM :6296060699/100 KOLKATA MUNICIPAL CORPORATION: 91 33 2286- 1212/ 1313/ 1414