According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), coastal Odisha was battered by heavy winds and rain as Cyclone Dana, classified as a severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds reaching up to 110 kmph, made landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra shortly after midnight on Thursday, October 24. The landfall process is continuing on Friday morning, according to the IMD.
THE SEVERE CYCLONIC STORM “DANA” (PRONOUNCED AS DANA) MOVED NORTH-NORTHWESTWARDS WITH A SPEED OF 10 KMPH AND LAY CENTRED AT 0530 HRS IST OF TODAY, THE 25TH OCTOBER, OVER NORTH COASTAL ODISHA NEAR LATITUDE 21.00° N AND LONGITUDE 86.85°E, ABOUT 20 KM NORTH-NORTHWEST OF DHAMARA AND… pic.twitter.com/9kXpXmTxUz
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) October 25, 2024
#WATCH | Odisha: Gusty winds and heavy downpour cause destruction in Dhamra, Bhadrak
The landfall process of #CycloneDana underway pic.twitter.com/1tILknoZyK
— ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2024
#WATCH | Bhubaneswar: On #CycloneDana, Director IMD, Manorama Mohanty says, “…Now it is about 15 km north of Dhamra and 30 km northwest of Bhitarkanika…now the current intensity is a severe cyclonic storm and wind speed is to 100-110 km/hr…landfall process continues…it… pic.twitter.com/8d1wvxfLS1
— ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2024
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- The coastal regions of West Bengal also experienced moderate to heavy rains with gusty rains due to the landfall. Both Odisha and West Bengal have put the government machinery on high alert, with Odisha having evacuated nearly 1 million people and West Bengal over 2.82 lakh.
The severe cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph and lay centred at 0530 hrs IST of today, the 25th October, over north coastal Odisha near latitude 21.00° n and longitude 86.85°e, about 20 km north-northwest of dhamara and 40 km north-northwest… pic.twitter.com/YWSVdHQm9F
— ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2024
- Apart from the evacuations, the Odisha government has set up over 7,200 cyclone shelters to accommodate the evacuees. West Bengal government has deployed 22 companies of the National Disaster Response Force (NDFR) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in addition to a large number of police force, and district administration officials. Schools and colleges will remain shut till October 26 in the affected areas of both the states.
#WATCH | Gusty winds and heavy rain continue to lash parts of Odisha; landfall process of #CycloneDana underway
(Visuals from Dhamra, Bhadrak) pic.twitter.com/HqEhW5sT6L
— ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2024
- In anticipation of the cyclone, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the state had identified more than 3.5 lakh people for evacuation from low-lying areas. As of Thursday, 243,374 people had already taken shelter in relief camps.
- South Bengal districts, including Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly and the 24 Parganas, have already begun experiencing moderate to heavy rains and gusty winds, with weather conditions expected to worsen. The IMD has warned of “heavy to very heavy rainfall” in these areas, with isolated places likely to see “extremely heavy downpours” over the next 48 hours.
- According to the Met Department prediction, the districts of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, and Balasore in Odisha will be most affected by the cyclone, which is predicted to have wind speeds of 100–120 kmph and heavy to extremely heavy rainfall. Additionally, they have forecast a storm surge of around one meter (above the astronomical tide) during the impact, which will inundate low-lying areas in the districts of Kendrapara, Bhadrak, and Balasore. In Bengal, it is anticipated that the North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah, and Hooghly would have heavy to extremely heavy rainfall.
- Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Maji expressed confidence in his government’s readiness to handle the potential flash floods forecasted by the IMD in 16 districts of Odisha. The heavy rainfall is expected due to the influence of a cyclone in the region. Maji made these remarks during his visit to the control room at the Special Relief Commissioner’s office in the state capital.
- Fishermen have been advised to stay away from the sea as wind speeds of up to 110 kmph are anticipated over the northwest Bay of Bengal. The storm is expected to strengthen, with winds reaching 120 kmph during landfall before gradually subsiding.
