Cyclone Dana makes landfall in Odisha; heavy rains lash coastal areas

Cyclone Dana update: According to the IMD, Cyclone Dana, named by Qatar, is expected to weaken into a cyclonic storm by late Friday morning

Cyclone Dana has made landfall on the Odisha coastline, causing intense rainfall and strong winds in various regions. The storm hit between Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara district and Dhamra in Bhadrak, with wind speeds reaching around 110 kmph.

 

The cyclone’s landfall process started around midnight, affecting districts such as Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore, and Jagatsinghpur with heavy rainfall and wind speeds of 110 kmph.

 

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the landfall is expected to last for 1-2 more hours, as per an update issued around 8:30 am.

Cyclone Dana update: No major damage reported 

No major damage or casualties have been reported thus far since Cyclone Dana began making landfall in the early hours of October 25. However, strong winds and heavy rains caused trees to be uprooted, blocking several roads in the Bhadrak district of Odisha. 

 

#WATCH | Odisha | #CycloneDana | Roads are being cleared by the fire services team as trees are uprooted in Bhadrak's Dhamra due to gusty winds and rain pic.twitter.com/xAhkhCshOz

— ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2024

  Cyclone Dana: Top updates

1. Flight operations at Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport and Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, which were suspended on Thursday evening as a precautionary measure, are set to resume at 9.00 am today. 

#WATCH | West Bengal: Flight operations resumed at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata at 8:50 am today. The services were suspended since yesterday due to #CycloneDana. pic.twitter.com/e4hHkSuRCK

— ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2024

  2. Authorities in both Odisha and West Bengal evacuated thousands of residents, closed schools, cancelled over 400 trains, and suspended flights to prepare for the impact of the severe cyclonic storm.

Cyclone Dana news: Mass evacuations in Odisha and Bengal

3. In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that 243,374 people have sought shelter in relief camps.

  4. The Odisha government evacuated around 580,000 people and mobilised 385 rescue teams, including personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), Fire Service, and Forest staff. Additionally, around 150 platoons of Odisha Police have been deployed for rescue efforts, road clearance, and other emergency operations.

Cyclone Dana: IMD issues heavy rainfall warning

5. The IMD forecasted light-to-moderate rainfall in most areas, with heavy to very heavy rain expected in certain places and isolated instances of extremely heavy rainfall (over 21 cm) in districts such as Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Khurda, and Puri until October 25

 

#WATCH | #CycloneDana | Visuals from coastal areas of Bhadrak's Dhamra, Odisha  Gusty winds and rain continue in parts of Dhamra as the landfall process of #CycloneDana began pic.twitter.com/otimb5QypG

— ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2024

6. Gale-force winds of 60-80 kmph, with gusts up to 90 kmph, are predicted along and off the southern Odisha coast until Friday morning, with gradual reduction thereafter, according to the IMD.

 

7. IMD Director-General Mrutunjay Mohapatra noted that the landfall has also increased the risk of tidal surges, potentially reaching up to two meters above the normal astronomical tide in Kendrapara, Balasore, and Bhadrak districts.

 

[With agency inputs]