Cyclone Dana hits Odisha coast, uproots trees, blocks roads; heavy rains and winds batter Bengal: 10 points

Heavy rains and gusty winds lash West Bengal as the process of landfall of Cyclone Dana on the Odisha coast began on Thursday midnight. The severe cyclonic storm is likely to weaken gradually in the early hours of Friday, October 25. During the landfall process, several trees were uprooted due to gusty winds and heavy incessant rains in the Bhadrak district of Odisha, resulting in the blocking of the roads.

CYCLONE DANA MAKES LANDFALL: 10 POINTS

1. In the early hours of Friday, Odisha experienced strong winds at a speed of 100-110 Kmph gusting to 120 kmph, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
2. Around 4:30 am on Friday, the severe cyclonic storm "Dana" moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph and lay centred over north coastal Odisha, about 15 km north of Dhamara and 30 km north-northwest of Habalikhati nature camp (Bhitarkanika).
3. Cyclone Dana is likely to move nearly West-Northwestwards across north Odisha and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm by forenoon.
4. Heavy rain and gusty winds were witnessed in Odisha's Bhadrak as the landfall of Cyclone Dana commenced.
5. Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja said that six lakh people were evacuated and moved to cyclone shelters. “More than 6 lakh people have been evacuated and moved to cyclone shelters where cooked food is being provided... Electricity has been switched off, telecommunications have also been shut down till tomorrow,” he said. From Asna to Sitrang, know about the last 5 cyclones that hit India
6. IMD has also predicted flash floods in 16 districts due to cyclone-induced heavy rainfall in Odisha. The IMD, in its latest forecast this evening, said that low to moderate flash floods are likely in watershed areas in the state in the next 24 hours.
7. The districts likely to witness flash floods are: Angul, Balasore, Boudh, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh and Puri.
8. Heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds battered West Bengal as Cyclone Dana made a landfall on Odisha coast.
9. In anticipation of a severe cyclonic storm making an impact on the coastal regions of West Bengal, flight operations at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport were suspended from 6:00 pm on Thursday, October 24, to 9:00 am on Friday, October 25.
10. The Bengal government evacuated 1,59,837 people and shifted 83,537 people to relief camps in view of the Cyclone Dana making a landfall.

(With agency inputs)