Bhubaneswar: As the severe cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ approaches the Odisha coast, expected to bring wind speeds of 100-120 kmph by October 25, the state government has intensified its efforts to manage the situation, aiming for ‘zero casualties.’
Up to 10 NDRF teams and 20 ODRAF teams have been dispatched to districts expected to be impacted by the cyclone ‘Dana’. The Additional Special Relief Commissioner has sought assistance from the Additional Secretary of the Disaster Management Division, MHA, requesting ten additional teams from outside the state.
The government has arranged for the evacuation of residents from high-risk areas, with Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari confirming that coordination meetings with district Collectors have taken place. The state’s preparedness for the cyclone is under continuous review.
To shelter evacuees, 250 multipurpose cyclone shelters have been readied, and equipped with essential amenities. Additionally, 500 temporary shelters have been set up in strategic locations such as schools and colleges. These shelters will provide cooked food and necessary medical services to those displaced by the cyclone.
The health department has prepared a list of pregnant women. Advisories are being issued for women, children, and the elderly to relocate to safer areas in the potentially affected regions, with women police officers to be stationed at relief centres, according to Pujari.
In anticipation of the approaching cyclone, all doctors’ leaves have been revoked, stated Health Services Director Bijay Mohapatra. He mentioned that the relocation of pregnant women to nearby health centres began on Monday, and instructions have been given to stock anti-snake venom injections and diarrhoea medications.
Measures are in place to guarantee uninterrupted power supply to hospitals, and doctors will attend to patients in the impacted zones in small teams. Squads will also inspect cyclone shelters, with monitoring occurring from the block to the state level, he added.
Acknowledging the hesitance of many to evacuate their homes due to fears of theft, the Revenue Minister announced intensified police patrols in at-risk areas. He assured that there was a sufficient supply of rations, polythene, and other essentials, urging the public not to panic. With an alert issued at all ports and fishermen back on land, the government is striving for zero casualties, the Minister declared.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has updated the projected path of the approaching Cyclone ‘Dana’, which is expected to make landfall on the Odisha coast between October 24 and 25.
Previously, the IMD had forecasted that the cyclone might pass through the northern Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island around October 24-25. However, the latest prediction indicates a landfall near Balasore/Bhadrak or Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara district.
At present, the depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal is approximately 700 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 750 km south-southeast of Sagar Island (West Bengal), and 730 km south-southeast of Khepupara (Bangladesh). The IMD anticipates it will move west-northwestwards and escalate into a cyclonic storm by October 23 over the east-central Bay of Bengal. It is then expected to further intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over the northwest Bay of Bengal by the morning of October 24. Cyclone Dana is predicted to hit the coast with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph, gusting up to 120 kmph, during the night of October 24 and the morning of October 25.
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