Cyclone Dana nears Odisha: Lakhs evacuated as rescue ops continue, schools shut

Over 3.5 lakh people were evacuated in Odisha and around 2.4 lakh in West Bengal on Thursday as they braced for severe cyclonic storm Dana, which is expected to make landfall in Odisha past midnight at a speed of 120kmph. Heavy rainfall, gusty winds, and turbulent sea conditions were reported in both the states as authorities raced against time to shift people to relief centres.
According to the India Meterological Department (IMD), cyclone Dana, which has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds likely to reach up to 120 kmph, is threatening to impact nearly half of Odisha’s population, with Bengal expected to witness extremely heavy to very heavy rain today and tomorrow.

As per IMD’s latest bulletin at 5.30 pm, ‘Dana’ moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 13 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centred about 90 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 110 km south-southeast of Dhamara (Odisha) and 210 km south of Sagar Island (West Bengal).
The landfall is expected to take place between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port, both in Odisha.
On Thursday and Friday, Bengal’s districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly, will receive extremely heavy to very heavy rain.
Flight operations at Kolkata airport was suspended from 6 pm on Thursday to 9 am on Friday, while Bhubaneswar airport has also been shut from 5 pm today until 9 am on Friday. Over 400 trains have been cancelled running through the two neighbouring states in the wake of the cyclone.