Cyclone Dana Makes Landfall In Odisha; Flight Operations Resume In Kolkata, Odisha (image-twitter/AbhijitRajINC)
Severe cyclonic storm Dana hit the coastal districts of Odisha, causing devastating havoc in the region. The cyclone caused landfall between Bhitarkanika in the Kendrapara district and Dhamra in Bhadrak with a wind speed of around 110 mph.
As per the weather office report, the landfall process started after midnight and continued into Friday morning. The severe cyclone, which now lay centred over the north coastal Odisha, near the north-northwest of Dhamara and the north-northwest of Habalikhati nature camp, is expected to move westwards within Odisha, weakening to a “cyclone” before noon. According to officials, the “severe cyclone” is unlikely to enter West Bengal, though heavy rain will continue.
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Reports of trees getting uprooted were received at the office of the Special Relief Commissioner in the Odisha capital, Bhubaneswar. Strong winds caused multiple incidents of tree falls and damage to some structures. Several roads were also closed across the region, and all modes of transport were hit.
Flight operations at Kolkata and Bhubaneswar airports have resumed after the cyclone’s landfall. Both airports were closed from Thursday evening to Friday morning. Moreover, almost 400 trains passing through the neighbouring states have been cancelled in response to the cyclone.
Authorities in both states had evacuated lakhs of people, shut schools, cancelled more than 400 trains, and suspended flight operations as they braced for the severe cyclonic storm.
In Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi-led government said that they have evacuated about 5.8 lakh people and deployed 385 rescue teams comprising National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) 51, Fire Service, and Forest Staff.
Meanwhile, in Bengal, Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has said 2,43,374 people have taken shelter in camps.
The fishermen were instructed to avoid the Bay of Bengal and the coastal areas of Odisha, West Bengal, and Bangladesh until the storm subside after Friday morning.
