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Cyclone Dana Hits Odisha: Trees Uprooted and Roads Blocked | WATCH

Coastal Odisha faced intense winds and heavy rainfall as Cyclone Dana, classified as a severe cyclonic storm, made landfall shortly after midnight on October 24. The storm’s winds reached speeds of up to 110 km/h. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicated that the landfall process would continue into the morning of October 25. #WATCH | […]

Cyclone Dana Landfall Ends: No fatalities Reported in Odisha and Bengal; Flights and Trains Resume Operations
Cyclone Dana Landfall Ends: No fatalities Reported in Odisha and Bengal; Flights and Trains Resume Operations

Coastal Odisha faced intense winds and heavy rainfall as Cyclone Dana, classified as a severe cyclonic storm, made landfall shortly after midnight on October 24. The storm’s winds reached speeds of up to 110 km/h. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicated that the landfall process would continue into the morning of October 25.

Affected Regions

The storm impacted the coastal districts of Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore, and nearby Jagatsinghpur. Reports from the revenue department confirmed that trees were uprooted, leading to blocked roads in Bhadrak district.

In a post on X, the IMD stated, “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 Dhamra (Odisha) and 160 km southwest of Sagar Island (West Bengal).”

Current Status of the Cyclone

As of now, there are no major reports of damage or casualties, even as the landfall process started during the night. The storm moved north-northwest at a speed of 15 km/h before making landfall between Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara district and Dhamra in Bhadrak. According to Umashankar Das, a senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar, wind speeds may increase to 120 km/h as the cyclone moves inland. The landfall process is expected to last about four to five hours.

By around 6 a.m. on Friday, IMD director Manorama Mohanty reported that the cyclone was approximately 15 km north of Dhamra and 30 km northwest of Bhitarkanika. She noted, “Now the current intensity is a severe cyclonic storm and wind speed is to 100-110 km/hr…landfall process continues. It will continue for next 1-2 hours. It is likely to move west-northwest across North Odisha and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm.”

Also Read: Cyclone Dana Brings Moderate Rainfall To Northeast As It Makes Landfall

Preparedness Measures

Odisha’s revenue and disaster management minister mentioned that around 10 districts could be impacted by the cyclone, stating that the evacuation process has largely been completed. Pujari said, “Around 10 districts are likely to be affected by the cyclone, comprising 60 blocks, 2131 villages, 12 urban local bodies, and 55 wards in different urban local bodies… Three lakh seventy-seven thousand people have already been evacuated… We have prepared 7307 relief centres across different districts. 4,756 cyclone relief centres are already operational…6454 domestic animals have been brought to relief centres…213 medical teams have been deployed to take care of the evacuated people, and 120 veterinary teams have also been positioned in different locations,” as reported by ANI.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi stated that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had inquired about the Odisha government’s readiness to deal with the cyclone. Majhi revealed that Odisha had evacuated approximately 584,000 people from high-risk, low-lying areas.

Anticipated Weather Conditions

IMD Director Mrutunjay Mohapatra noted that the cyclone would also increase tidal surges by up to two meters above astronomical heights in Kendrapara, Balasore, and Bhadrak districts. Gale winds reaching 60-80 km/h, with gusts up to 90 km/h, are expected along and off south Odisha until Friday morning, tapering off thereafter.

The IMD has forecasted light to moderate rainfall across most areas, with heavy to very heavy rainfall expected in some places. Isolated locations in Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Khurda, and Puri could experience extremely heavy rainfall (over 21 cm) until October 25.

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