Cyclone Dana: Odisha gearing up to evacuate one million people to safer place

Outer radius of the cyclonic system has touched Odisha coast.
| Photo Credit: https://www.youtube.com/@Indiametdept

Odisha government is gearing up to evacuate 10 lakh people to safer place as the severe cyclonic storm is expected to make landfall between Kendrapara and Bhadrak districts of Odisha during October 24-25.

“We hope to shift 10 lakh people to different cyclone shelters where all services will be made available. We hope that the evacuation would pick up by evening,” said Suresh Pujari, State Revenue and Disaster Management Minister following Cabinet meeting, in Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday (October 23, 2024.)

Control rooms, evacuations, and school closures: West Bengal braces for Cyclone Dana

Mr. Pujari urged people in areas vulnerable to cyclone to come to cyclone shelters as the government has taken responsibility to guard their properties left behind by them.  

Meanwhile, outer radius of the cyclonic system has touched Odisha coast. Light drizzle has started in coastal districts and its intensity is increasing with every passing hour.

According to bulletin issued by IMD, the cyclonic storm Dana over east-central Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards with a speed of 15 kmph during past six hours and lay centred about 520 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 600 km south-southeast of Sagar Island (West Bengal) and 610 km south of Khepupara (Bangladesh).

“It is very likely to move northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over northwest Bay of Bengal by early morning of October 24 and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamara (Odisha) during night of October 24 to morning of October 25 as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting 120 kmph,” the bulletin informed.

Seven districts — Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Puri, Mayurbhanj, Balasore and Jajpur — are likely to receive very heavy rain from 7 cm to 11 cm on October 24.

Mr. Pujari informed that apart from 24-hour-control room functioning under Revenue and Disaster Management department, all line Departments including Health, Energy, Agriculture, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare and Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Departments have been asked to open their own control rooms to address sectoral service related requests. Control rooms would function up to block office level.

Cabinet Ministers have been assigned different districts for supervision of rescue and rehabilitation of people who will be impacted by cyclone. Roles of senior Ministers will also come into play after cyclone crossed the coast especially in assessing damages caused to public infrastructure, crop and housing and disbursement of compensation.