Cyclone Dana hits Odisha, West Bengal: landfall and heavy rains. Trains and airlines resume operations
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Summary: 6,000 pregnant women and over 6 lakh other people have been relocated to safer areas in Odisha.
Cyclone Dana made landfall between Bhitarkanika and Dhamara in northern Odisha, about 350 km from Kolkata, on Thursday and Friday. The cyclone ambushed the Bengal-Odisha coast on Wednesday.
With strong winds of up to 120 km/h, it is likely to make landfall as a powerful cyclonic storm. On Wednesday, Odisha evacuated three to four lakh people from areas that were at risk in advance of the storm's effects.
The Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) was closed from 5 p.m. on Thursday till 9 a.m. on Friday as a precaution. Also, the flight operations in Kolkata were closed for 15 hours, starting at 6 a.m. on Thursday.
When Cyclone Dana hit India's eastern coast, it disrupted certain civic services, damaged trees and crops, and caused heavy rain and gusty winds affecting daily life in Odisha and West Bengal. Starting at midnight on Thursday, the landfall process will gradually slow down in the early hours of Friday.
According to the latest meteorological forecast, the cyclone will continue to move north and degenerate into a severe depression during the following six hours.
No casualties are reported so far; the Chief Minister’s office stated, “We have achieved our target of zero casualties due to proper planning and execution.”
Following the cyclone's landfall, flight operations have resumed at the airports in Kolkata and Bhubaneswar.
