Cyclone Dana News: Odisha and Bengal on High Alert Trains Cancelled, Relief Teams Ready !

As the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal became stronger into cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ on Wednesday morning, the governments of West Bengal and Odisha has accelerated the evacuation of residents from coastal districts.

The storm is predicted to strike the coast between Puri in Odisha and Sagar Island in West Bengal during the evening of October 24 and the morning of October 25, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

According to the weather service’s press release, during the cyclone’s landfall, wind gusts of up to 120 kmph are predicted to reach 100–110 kmph.
According to the IMD’s most recent report, at 8.30 am today, the cyclone was centered roughly 600 km south-southeast of Sagar Island in West Bengal and 560 km southeast of Paradip in Odisha.
Odisha is expected to be the worst hit, according to IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, with high-speed winds and heavy to extremely heavy rainfall.

As Bengal and Odisha get ready for Cyclone Dana, here are the most important developments:

• Ahead of the storm, a total of 14 NDRF units in West Bengal and 20 teams in Odisha are on alert. Ships, aircraft, and more Army, Navy, and Coast Guard rescue and relief teams have been maintained on standby.

Angul, Puri, Nayagarh, Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, and Mayurbhanj are among the districts that are on alert.

• With its committed staff and resources prepared to offer aid, rescue, and relief, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) declared that it is on high alert.

To provide fishermen and seafarers with regular weather forecasts and safety advice, the ICG has set up remote operating stations and helicopters in Haldia, West Bengal, and Paradip, Odisha.

• Along with 20 NDRF teams, 51 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams and 178 fire service teams have also been deployed in susceptible areas, an Odisha government official told news agency PTI.
  According to a statement, the state administration intends to relocate more than 10 lakh residents from 3,000 villages spread over 14 districts to relief camps.
  Residents of the areas in Odisha that are most likely to be impacted by Cyclone Dana will be housed in multipurpose cyclone shelters, flood shelters, and other structures.

• In response to the rising fears surrounding Cyclone Dana, the West Bengal government issued orders placing seven districts on high alert.
  According to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the administration was prepared to address the problem and was managing it through a control room that was open twenty-four hours a day.
• As a precaution against the storm, schools will be shuttered in seven West Bengal districts from Wednesday through Saturday.
  In addition to coastal regions and nearby districts like Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Jhargram, and Hooghly, West Bengal’s districts most likely to be affected by Cyclone Dana are South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur.

• Due to the strong cyclonic storm, more than 150 express and passenger trains operating within the authority of South Eastern Railway have been canceled. Among the 150 trains that were canceled were the Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express, the Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express, the Kamakhya-Yesvantpur AC Express, the Howrah-Puri Shatabdi Express, the Howrah-Bhubaneswar Shatabdi Express, and the Howrah-Yesvantpur Express.
• According to Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, more than 5,000 relief centers have been established with state-of-the-art amenities to give children food, milk, and water as well as medications for those who have been hurt.
  He said, “We are expecting around 10 lakh evacuations,” according to a PTI statement. Cyclone Dana has also forced the Shree Jagannath and Konark Sun temples to close to tourists till October 25.
• Due to the cyclone, all educational establishments, including colleges, universities, and schools, would be closed in 14 districts of Odisha from Wednesday through Friday.
  
  In the districts of Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Angul, Khordha, Nayagarh, and Cuttack, the educational establishments will be shut down.

• The closure of two of Odisha’s natural hotspots, Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district and Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district, was declared by the state government on Tuesday. Prior to the cyclone, both districts have been designated as red zones.