Cyclonic storm Dana formed in the Andaman Sea has reached the Bay of Bengal. Due to the storm, the weather in Odisha, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka is very bad today. Although the cyclonic storm has moved out of the Andaman Sea, which has reduced the impact of the storm on Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, but now the storm is in the Bay of Bengal. It is likely to hit Puri coast of Odisha tomorrow morning on 24th October.
Due to the impact of the storm, winds are blowing at a speed of 100 to 120 km per hour in Odisha today. After hitting the coast tomorrow, the wind speed can reach 150 km per hour. There is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rain in Odisha today. Life has become disrupted due to rains since last 4-5 days. Therefore, the Odisha government has issued an advisory for residents and tourists. Local residents have also been asked to stay indoors.
Preparation to deal with storm in Odisha
According to Odisha's Special Relief Officer Dev Ranjan Singh, the cyclone will hit the coast of Puri by midnight today, October 24, or tomorrow morning, October 25. Therefore the coastal areas have been evacuated. Schools-colleges, Anganwadi-offices of 14 districts are closed. Leaves of employees, doctors, policemen have been cancelled. Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari himself is keeping an eye on the situation. All the tourists left. Hotel booking has been cancelled. 5 thousand women who had reached Puri for Kartik bath have been taken to a safe place.
The entry of devotees into temples has been stopped. 51 teams of Odisha State Disaster Force, 178 teams of fire brigade and 10 teams of NDRF have been deployed for rescue operations. Due to bad weather, President Draupadi Murmu has also postponed his three-day visit to Odisha. Fishermen have been asked not to go near the beaches. 750 relief centers have been set up. The control room will remain operational 24 hours. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Army, Air Force and Navy have been put on alert mode. Air Force planes and Navy ships would be hovering nearby.
Precaution was taken in West Bengal also
The impact of Cyclonic Storm Dana will be seen in Odisha as well as West Bengal. Therefore, schools, colleges and Anganwadi centers in 9 districts of West Bengal have been closed for the next 3-4 days. People have been advised to work from home. Leaves of doctors, police personnel and soldiers have been cancelled. 1.50 lakh people have been evacuated from Digha, East Medinipur and South 24 Parganas districts.
Coastal areas have been evacuated as the sea will swell due to the impact of the storm and there is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall along with the storm. There is a possibility of rain for three days. Helicopters and remote operating stations have been deployed in Haldia to provide weather warnings and safety advisories to fishermen and sailors. 9 NDRF teams have been deployed in the coastal areas.