Cyclone Dana: Kolkata Airport To Suspend Flight Operations, 3 Lakh People Evacuated In Odisha 

Cyclone Dana, expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm, is set to make landfall in Odisha on Friday.

Cyclone Dana is expected to make landfall on Friday night.

Source : PTI

West Bengal and Odisha are bracing for the impending landfall of Cyclone Dana, which formed over east-central Bay of Bengal on Wednesday. The storm is expected to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm northwest of the Bay of Bengal and make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha early Friday, according to the India Meteorological Department. 

According to the IMD, the cyclonic storm is set to bring heavy rainfall to several districts of southern West Bengal, including Kolkata. 

Isolated places in North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly are among the districts that are expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday. 

• The weather department has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea as wind speed is likely to reach 120 kmph, from October 24 night till October 25 morning.
• Over 170 express and passenger trains running through South Eastern Railway (SER) jurisdiction have been cancelled in view of the severe cyclonic storm, an official said.
• EMU local trains from Sealdah station to Hasnabad sections will remain suspended from 8 pm on October 24 till 10 am on October 25. The last train Hasnabad and Namkhana stations, which are close to the coastal areas in North and South 24 Parganas districts, will depart towards Sealdah by 7 pm on October 24, the officials said.
• The Eastern Railway also cancelled 68 suburban trains in its Howrah division on October 25. 
• Flight operations at Kolkata airport will be suspended for 15 hours from 6 pm on Thursday in view of the possible impact of cyclone Dana, an official said, as per PTI. 
• “In view of cyclone Dana's impact on the coastal region of West Bengal, including Kolkata, it has been decided to suspend the flight operations from 6 pm on October 24 to 9 am on October 25 due to predicted heavy winds and heavy to very heavy rainfall at Kolkata,” an AAI spokesperson said.
• Ferry services in the Sunderbans area spread over North and South 24 Parganas districts and also across River Hooghly in Kolkata have been stopped in view of the cyclone. 
• A total of 13 NDRF teams have been deployed across south Bengal to respond to any emergency situation. 
• In Odisha, over 30 per cent of the targeted 10 lakh people have been evacuated to safe places by Wednesday evening, said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. 
• “Three districts are likely to be severely affected. Steps are being taken to evacuate people from danger zones...So far, 30 per cent of the targeted 10 lakh people have been evacuated...the remaining will be taken to safety by 11 am on Thursday," the chief minister said.
• The evacuees have been provided with dry and cooked food and all other arrangements have been made in cyclone shelter, he said.
• Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack and Puri districts will mostly bear the brunt of the cyclone, the CM said.