Odisha braces for ‘Dana’; 10 lakh to be evacuated

As Cyclone ‘Dana’ barrels toward the Odisha coast, threatening to impact nearly half the state’s population, the government is racing against time to execute a massive evacuation plan aimed at relocating around 10 lakh people in 14 districts to safety.

The IMD on Wednesday said the cyclone was likely to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port, located around 70 km away from each other, early Friday. It said the landfall process will start from the night of October 24 and will continue till the morning of October 25. The maximum speed during the landfall process is likely to be around 120 kmph, IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.

He said landfall is mostly a slow process which usually takes around 5-6 hours. “Therefore, heavy rainfall, wind and storm surge will reach the peak during the landfall time which is between October 24 night and October 25 morning,” he added.

As many as 288 rescue teams from the NDRF, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and Fire Services have been deployed, with additional personnel requested from the NDRF. The government has identified 14 districts at risk, with the coastal areas facing high winds and inland regions expected to receive heavy to extremely heavy rainfall.

“The state has identified over 3,000 vulnerable locations (villages) across 14 districts, primarily along the coastal belt, and started evacuation procedures. Approximately 10,60,336 people are likely to be evacuated before Cyclone Dana makes landfall,” disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said.

In addition to the evacuation, the state has set up around 6,000 relief camps where evacuees will have access to cooked meals, milk for children, medical care, safe drinking water and security for women. The IMD has prohibited all marine activities, including fishing, until the cyclone has passed.