Mapped: Severe Cyclone Dana churns towards India prompting over a million to evacuate
India places navy ships on standby for disaster relief
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Cyclone Dana is barrelling toward India’s east coast, prompting authorities to shut schools and airports and begin evacuating more than one million people.
The storm, packing wind speeds of 62-68mph and gusts up to 74mph, is expected to make landfall by early Friday along the coastlines of Odisha and West Bengal.
Heavy rain is forecast to bring the risk of significant flooding in low-lying areas, the Indian Meteorological Department has warned.
In Odisha, authorities already evacuated 300,000 people from vulnerable areas by Thursday morning, with plans to relocate more than one million residents in total from 14 districts.
“The government is fully prepared to tackle the situation. You are in safe hands,” Odisha’s chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi told people, according to PTI news agency.
Major districts such as Puri, Kendrapara, and Jagatsinghpur are expected to be the worst affected. Tourists and pilgrims, who frequent Puri to visit the famous Jagannath Temple were asked to leave as authorities deployed rescue teams.
Schools and public offices have been shut, while over 200 trains have been cancelled in anticipation of the storm’s impact.
Neighbouring West Bengal is also on high alert, with downpours already lashing some coastal districts like East Medinipur and the Sundarbans.
Several coastal regions are expected to face torrential rains, and officials have ordered the suspension of ferry services and the closure of schools as a precaution. Authorities have warned fishermen against venturing out to sea due to dangerous conditions.
West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose said on Thursday that the people have braved many storms and will face Dana with confidence and patience.
“Bengal will stand together. India will stand together. We shall overcome,” he said, according to PTI news agency.
The Indian Navy has two ships on standby, ready to carry out humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, authorities said.
“The command is working closely with units such as the Base Victualling Yard (BVY), Material Organisation and the naval hospital INHS Kalyani to provide essential supplies and medical support if sought by the State administration,” the Navy said in a statement.
Meanwhile, hundreds of personnel from the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) were deployed in both states.
The team went door-to-door with loudspeakers making people aware of the cyclonic storm.
Bangladesh, although not in the direct path of Cyclone Dana, is also bracing for its impact, particularly in coastal districts like Khulna and Barisal. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rainfall and tidal surges as the cyclone passes close to the country’s southern coast.
Parts of neighbouring Jharkhand are also expected to face heavy to very heavy rainfall starting from Thursday night.
IMD has issued an orange alert for the Kolhan region in East Jharkhand, which includes the districts of West Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharswan, and East Singhbhum.
This alert signals the possibility of heavy rainfall ranging from 115mm to 204mm within a 24-hour period, two to four times the monthly rainfall of London, which could lead to localised flooding.
India’s eastern coastline has always been vulnerable to cyclones, but the frequency and intensity of these storms are on the rise due to the climate crisis.
In the past few years, storms like Cyclone Amphan in 2020, Cyclone Yaas in 2021, and Cyclone Fani in 2019 have killed hundreds of people and caused billions of dollars in damages.
Last year was India’s deadliest cyclone season in recent years, killing 523 people and costing an estimated £2.3bn in damage.
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