Officials from the River Traffic Police and Disaster Management Group (DMG) are making announcements along the banks of the Hooghly River in Kolkata as Cyclone Dana approaches landfall on October 23, 2024. Heavy rainfall has already affected parts of West Bengal and Odisha in anticipation of the cyclone’s impact later tonight.
Cyclone Dana has intensified into a severe storm with wind speeds ranging from 88 to 117 km/h. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone is likely to move north-northwestward and will cross the coasts of north Odisha and West Bengal between Puri and Sagar Island. The landfall is expected to occur near Bhitarkanika and Dhamara, Odisha, between midnight on October 24 and the morning of October 25.
In preparation, Odisha has already evacuated over a million people from vulnerable areas. Bhubaneswar Airport has suspended operations for 17 hours, from October 24 until 9 AM on October 25, leading to the cancellation or rescheduling of approximately 45 flights.
To mitigate the potential impact of Cyclone Dana, 182 fire and rescue teams have been mobilized across 14 districts expected to experience the storm’s worst effects.