West Bengal and Odisha shift lakhs of people to cyclone shelters and relief camps ahead of cyclone Dana’s landfall

West Bengal and Odisha on Thursday shifted lakhs of people living in low-lying areas to cyclone shelters and relief camps ahead of severe cyclone Dana’s landfall.

The authorities at the Kolkata and Bhubaneswar airports suspended flight operations, and the Railways took proactive measures in view of the possible impact of the severe cyclonic storm.”

West Bengal Disaster Management Minister Javed Ahmed Khan said, “Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself is monitoring the situation. She will be present at night at the control room (at state secretariat), which is open 24X7. All the agencies have been alerted. Evacuation has also been done.”

Khan informed that the government has opened as many as 851 relief camps. So far, the government has evacuated around 1.60 lakh people, with over 83,000 of them shifted to relief camps.

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Cyclone Dana, formed over the east-central Bay of Bengal, is expected to affect six to seven districts of Bengal. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said it is on high alert and has mobilised vessels and aircraft to respond swiftly to any contingency over the Bay of Bengal.

Due to heavy winds and heavy rainfall in Kolkata, the Kolkata airport authorities suspended flight operations from 6 pm on Thursday to 9 am on Friday.

“I will stay awake all night at Nabanna (state secretariat) and monitor the situation. A control room has been opened in Nabanna to monitor the situation 24/7 and take action. I will be personally here throughout the night. Other officials too will monitor the situation,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said at a media conference in Kolkata.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the government was fully prepared to tackle any situation arising out of cyclone Dana. Majhi said the government’s target would be “zero casualties” as the severe cyclonic storm is expected to make landfall in Odisha.

Ahead of the landfall, the government evacuated around 3 lakh people and made more than 7,000 cyclone shelters.

Kendrapara, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Jagatsinghpur, and Bhadrak districts of Odisha are expected to be worst affected by Dana along with very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, while nine other districts of the state will also experience heavy rainfalls under its impact.

All air services to and from Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar were cancelled from 5 pm on Thursday till 9 am on Friday.

Fishermen have been banned from venturing into the sea. NDRF and Fire Services teams have been deployed at strategic locations for prompt relief and rescue operations.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for Railways, instructed the Railways to ensure maximum preparedness with minimal disruption. He advised that care must be taken to ensure minimum inconvenience to passengers.

As a part of the Railways’ proactive measures, it was decided to construct nine round-the-clock dedicated war rooms. These war rooms will be manned by the officers of Engineering, S&T, Operating, Commercial, and RPF to take any prompt decision on account of the cyclone and will ensure early restoration of services and infrastructure. The Railways is also maintaining constant communication with the India Meteorological Department to receive real-time updates and mobilise resources as necessary.

Specialised teams are positioned for the swift restoration of tracks, signalling systems, and electrification at various locations such as Soro, Jaleswar, and other important stations as and when necessary, according to the Ministry of Railways.