Doomsday night for Odisha-Bengal
Puri/Kolkata. Cyclonic storm ‘Dana’, which arose from the Bay of Bengal, will hit the coast of Odisha at around 2 am on Thursday-Friday night. This will affect West Bengal also. At present the wind is blowing at a speed of 70 km in the coastal areas (Dhamra). According to Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, the storm will land near Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha. Its landfall process will last for 5 hours and it will pass through the northern part of Odisha at a speed of 120 km per hour. Due to the effect of Dana, some places including Bhadrak, Kendrapara may receive more than 30 cm i.e. 12 inches (one foot) of rain. There is a possibility of rain up to 20 cm in the remaining coastal areas. 10 lakh people have been shifted in 14 districts of Odisha. Devastation caused by cyclonic storm can be seen on Friday. During this period the wind speed is likely to exceed 120 kilometers per hour. Every year some cyclone or the other is coming to the country. The ferocity of a cyclonic storm causes huge damage to people’s life and property. Billions of rupees are being spent to bring life back on track. Before Dana, cyclonic storms like Remal, Titli, Gaja, Bulbul and Biparjoy have caused huge devastation.
300 flights cancelled, 552 trains cancelled
Around 300 flights will be canceled for 16 hours from Thursday 5 pm to October 25 at 9 am at Bhubaneswar and Kolkata airports. Here South East Railway has canceled 150 trains, East Coast Railway has canceled 198 trains, Eastern Railway has canceled 190 trains and South East Central Railway has canceled 14 trains. A total of 552 trains have been cancelled. All temporary tents have been removed from the Jagannath Temple complex in Puri. Sandbags have been placed on asbestos roofs. So that it doesn’t fly away. Whereas Konark temple has been closed for two days.
NDRF and fire brigade teams deployed
Odisha has deployed 288 teams of National Disaster Relief Force, Odisha Disaster Relief Force and Fire Brigade. Schools and colleges in 14 districts affected by the storm will remain closed till October 25. Along with all the tourism parks in these districts, the Odisha High Court has also been closed till October 25. Leaves of government employees have been cancelled. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has reviewed the preparations to deal with the storm by holding a high level meeting.
Impact of Cyclone ‘Dana’ in 7 states
Cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ arising from the Bay of Bengal will affect seven states – Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu. There is a possibility of widespread impact of the storm in 14 out of 30 coastal districts of Odisha. The Meteorological Department has predicted heavy to very heavy rain in Angul, Nayagarh, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Kendujhar, Jajpur, Cuttack and Dhenkanal, Khurda, Ganjam and Puri districts till October 26. In West Bengal, very heavy rains are expected in East Medinipur, West Medinipur, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas, while heavy rains may occur in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly and Jhargram. Winds at a speed of 30 to 50 km per hour are expected along with heavy rain in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. In Jharkhand, there may be rain in East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, Simdega, Seraikela-Kharsawan, Deoghar, Dhanbad, Dumka, Giridih, Godda, Jamtara. In Chhattisgarh, the Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for 8 districts today. There may be isolated showers in the next three days from 25th to 27th October. On October 25 and 26, winds can blow at a speed of 40 km per hour. In Bihar, its impact will be visible in Bhagalpur, Banka, Jamui, Munger, Sheikhpura, Nalanda, Jehanabad, Lakhisarai, Nawada, Gaya, Katihar, Purnia, Kishanganj. Wind will blow at a speed of 20 to 40 kilometers per hour in many districts. The Meteorological Department has issued a warning of heavy rain for five days in Tamil Nadu of South India and some states of Eastern India.
Indian Coast Guard on high alert
The Indian Coast Guard is on high alert as Cyclone Dana is expected to hit the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha and has deployed its ships and aircraft to deal with any emergency at sea. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Coast Guard is closely monitoring the situation and proactive steps have been taken to ensure preparedness to deal with any emergency arising out of the impact of the cyclone. The statement said the Coast Guard is on high alert with its special disaster relief team, ready to provide assistance, rescue and relief operations. The ministry said, ‘As Cyclone Dana is expected to reach the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha on October 24-25, the Coast Guard Region (North-East) has taken several precautionary measures for the safety of life and property at sea.