Cyclone Dana updates: Odisha schools closed; tourists asked to leave Puri

Cyclone Dana: Heavy rainfall is likely to occur in Odisha and Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to the impact of the cyclone

Cyclone Dana updates: The ‘severe’ cyclonic storm Dana, set to hit the Odisha coast by Wednesday, has triggered a high alert in the state, prompting the officials to close schools in 14 districts till Friday.

The storm will likely travel with a wind speed of 100-120 kilometres per hour during landfall, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, adding that heavy rainfall is likely to occur in Odisha and Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to the impact of the cyclone.

 

Top updates on Cyclone Dana:

1) Chief Minister Charan Majhi has assured that the Odisha government is fully prepared to mitigate the impact of the cyclonic storm.

2) In view of the situation, the government has urged the tourists to leave the coastal town of Puri as a precautionary measure. “The tourists who have come to Puri should leave the seaside pilgrim town soon as the district is likely to be affected by the severe cyclonic storm,” Odisha Minister Suresh Pujari said.

3) The officials said that 25 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are on standby in Odisha and West Bengal.

4) Due to the adverse weather conditions, President Drouapdi Murmu’s scheduled visit to Odisha has also been postponed. Murmu was set to visit Odisha on Wednesday. 

Weather warning for the next two days

5) The Met department has warned that heavy rainfall is likely in Odisha and Andaman and Nicobar islands on Wednesday. Further, ‘extremely’ heavy rainfall is expected in Gangetic West Bengal and coastal Odisha on October 24-25. Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, and Mizoram will also be affected due to heavy rainfall during this period.

6) The low-pressure area over Bay of Bengal will intensify into a depression by Tuesday. It will further transform into a cyclonic storm by Wednesday and will move towards Odisha-West Bengal coasts by Thursday.