Cyclone Dana will make landfall near Odisha’s Bhitarkanika and Dhamra tonight, with a likely wind speed of 100-120 km per hour. Both Odisha and West Bengal are on high alert, with vulnerable population evacuated, flight and rail services suspended.
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The cyclone is likely to cross north Odisha and West Bengal coast between Puri and Sagar Island — close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamra – starting Thursday night.
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“Landfall will begin on the night of October 24 and continue till the morning of October 25. The maximum wind speed during this time is likely to be around 120 kmph,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the Director-General of Indian Meteorological Department or IMD.
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Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi said arrangements have been made to ensure safety for the people in districts that lie on the cyclone’s path — Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, and Puri.”
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“Evacuation efforts are in progress, with more than 30 per cent of people relocated. The process will continue throughout the night, aiming to evacuate 90 per cent of people by 11 am tomorrow,” the Chief Minister said. Three to 4 lakh people have already been evacuated, he added.
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Flight operations at Bhubaneshar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport will be suspended for 16 hours starting Thursday evening. Train services have also been suspended in the state.
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West Bengal has evacuated more than 1.4 lakh people from areas that will be affected — Sagar Island, the Sundarbans and Kakdwip. Another 2.8 lakh will be evacuated from Bankura, Hooghly, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Paschim and Purba Medinipur, and Kolkata.
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Flight operations at Kolkata airport will be suspended for 15 hours starting 6 pm on Thursday. The Eastern Railway has cancelled 190 local trains.
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Tourists in coastal areas such as Digha, Shankarpur, and Tajpur in Bengal have been advised to stay indoors and avoid entering the sea as a safety measure.
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Multiple battalions of Disaster Relief personnel have been stationed in both states. The Coast Guard is on alert and fishermen have been asked not to sail on both days.
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The National Disaster Relief Force has stationed 56 teams in five states, including Odisha and West Bengal. There are 20 teams in Odisha, of which one is in reserve, while of the 17 in West Bengal, 13 are in reserve. Nine teams each have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand, while one has been based in Chhattisgarh as these states may face heavy rains and flooding.
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