Cyclone Dana made landfall in Odisha in the early hours of Friday, October 25, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) closely tracked its progress. The IMD confirmed the landfall, which occurred near latitude 20.5°N and longitude 87.1°E, approximately 50 km east-northeast of Paradip and 40 km south-southeast of Dhamra. Dana is expected to bring violent winds and heavy rain showers to parts of West Bengal and Odisha as it moves north-northwest.

Where did Cyclone Dana hit first?

The cyclone’s landfall began early on Friday and is anticipated to continue until the morning hours. The storm will likely cross the northern coasts of Odisha and West Bengal, particularly between Puri and Sagar Island, near Bhitarkanika and Dhamara, with a wind speed of 100-110 mph gusting up to 120 mph.

Massive evacuations underway in Odisha

According to officials of the state, more than 600,000 people in Odisha have already been evacuated from vulnerable areas. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has taken up the disaster management from Bhubaneswar's State Emergency Control Room himself. Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja has said that thousands of people have already been evacuated and it is an indication of how much the state is prepared for damage from the cyclone.

 

What damage has been reported so far?

 

Initial reports from Odisha's Dhamra region in Bhadrak indicate that many roads in sea-village areas are blocked by fallen trees. In some areas, homes have been damaged. Odisha Fire Services teams are working day and night, clearing National Highways and residential roads. A fire department official told ANI, "Roads are blocked as many trees are uprooted here. At first, we will clear NH and other roads and then we will head towards residential areas. Our two teams are working in Dhamra. We don't have any information as of now, regarding any severe damage."

About ten districts in Odisha would be majorly affected by the storm, according to State Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari.

 

How is West Bengal preparing?

 

The state government is moving thousands of people to safer places. Official statistics indicate that so far over 159,000 people have been evacuated. Of them, as many as 83,600 have been shifted to relief camps. As the storm draws close, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee keeps an eye on the situation.

The other precautionary measure would be to establish a safe zone for fishing trawlers in Mohana of Digha located in Purba Medinipur district. Again, light rain showers have been seen in many parts of Kolkata as the outer arms of the storm began affecting that particular region early on Friday morning.

With the landfall still in progress, Odisha and West Bengal remain on high alert, prepared for further impacts as Cyclone Dana continues its destructive course.  High-scale evacuations and preparations have been successful so far as government officials closely monitor the situation in order to mitigate damage to and the protection of life and property.