Govt. undertakes evacuation process as Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Dana’ Set to Make Landfall on 24th night in Odisha Coast
By B.Maharana
Bhubaneswar, October 23
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reviewed the preparedness of different departments at SRC office in Rajiv Bhawan here this evening to tackle the possible damages due to the severe cyclonic storm.
As Cyclone Dana is expected to make landfall on October 24th night , preparation is in full swing by the government to ensure zero casualty and seriously working to minimise the impact of the severe cyclone said Chief Minister Majhi
He said , evacuation efforts are underway from the low-lying and sensitive areas in coastal districts and the process will continue throughout the night, targeting to evacuate 90 per cent of people by 11 am tomorrow. About 3 to 4 lakh people have already been evacuated said CM Majhi.
Chief Minister urged citizens to prioritise their safety and remain vigilant, while adding that the government is fully prepared to handle all situations.
Meanwhile the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) DIG Mohsen Shahidi said that teams are focusing on maximum evacuation before the cyclone makes landfall tomorrow.
The severe cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ is most likely to make landfall between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra of the Odisha coast in the late night of tomorrow or early morning of Friday. The wind speed of ‘Dana’ will be 100 to 120 km per hour during the landfall. It is now about 420 km from Paradip and 450 km from Dhamra of Odisha and moving at a speed of 12 km per hour in the Bay of Bengal towards the Odisha coast.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said Kendrapara, Balasore, and Bhadrak districts of Odisha will be badly affected during the landfall of ‘Dana’ as the wind speed in these districts will be about 120 km per hour at that time.
The severe cyclonic storm will also affect other coastal and neighbouring districts of the state with wind speeds of 80 to 90 km per hour during the landfall. The Odisha government has put the entire machinery on high alert to tackle the cyclonic storm ‘Dana’.
Rains and strong winds have started in the coastal districts of Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, and Kendrapara since this afternoon under the impact of ‘Dana’, which is heading towards the Odisha coast to make a landfall in the intervening nights of tomorrow and Friday.
People living in low-lying areas are being shifted to multipurpose cyclone centers. All schools, colleges, universities, and many government institutions in coastal and neighbouring districts will remain closed till Friday.
Leaves of doctors and government employees have been cancelled, while a large number of passenger trains have been cancelled.
The Health Department is on alert. Directions have been given to all CDMOs, and their leave has been cancelled. Measures have also been put in place to address issues related to snake venom. The Chief Minister is personally overseeing the situation, said the Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling.
Fishermen have been banned from entering the sea. Meanwhile, the IMD has issued a red warning for Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts for tomorrow with high tides in the nearby sea. Danger signal number 10 has been given for Dhamra and Paradip ports, while danger signal number 8 has been given in Gopalpur port of Odisha.