October 24, 2024 9:22 PM.
The severe cyclone ‘Dana,’ formed over the east-central Bay of Bengal, is heading towards the Odisha coast and is set to make landfall between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra in a few hours. The track of the cyclone may slightly recurve to the west-southwest after landfall.
The wind speed of ‘Dana’ during the 5 to 6 hours of the landfall process will be about 120 to 125 km per hour, with widespread impact in the Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts of Odisha. Along with this, high tides are expected in the sea, and the storm is anticipated to bring down trees, electric poles, and thatched houses.
The severe cyclone is currently 90 km from Paradip and 120 km from Dhamra off the Odisha coast, moving at a slower speed of 10 km per hour in the Bay of Bengal. Authorities in Odisha have evacuated nearly 350,000 people from the path of the approaching severe cyclone.
Thousands of relief workers have been deployed at strategic locations to minimize damage from severe cyclone ‘Dana.’ Transportation services in Odisha have already been affected, with numerous trains and flights cancelled.