Over 3.5 lakh people being evacuated in Bengal ahead of cyclone Dana landfall
Cyclone Dana was expected to make landfall late on Thursday on the east coast and trigger heavy rains
Kolkata: More than 1.59 lakh people were evacuated from low-lying areas in West Bengal's coastal districts till Thursday afternoon and another two-lakh people were likely to be shifted as severe cyclone Dana with wind gusts of up to 120 km per hour was expected to make landfall between Thursday midnight and Friday morning on the east coast.
Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal, said that she would be staying at the state secretariat on Thursday night to monitor the situation. The cyclone is also expected to trigger heavy rains, prompting the closure of the Kolkata airport from 6pm on Thursday to 9am on Friday.
“We have identified 3,56,941 people, who need to be evacuated from low lying areas in the coastal districts. Till Thursday afternoon 1,59,837 were evacuated. Around 83,537 people have already been brought to 851 cyclone shelters and flood relief camps,” Banerjee told reporters on Thursday afternoon.
“Tonight, I will be staying at Nabanna and monitor the situation from time to time. The chief secretary and home secretary will also monitor the situation from home. Secretaries from various government departments have been stationed in some of the districts to monitor the situation on the ground. Once the cyclone passes over, relief work will start,” she added.
According the India Meteorological Department the storm was very likely to move north-northwestwards and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamra in Odisha in the early hours of Friday as a severe cyclone with a wind speed of 100-110 km per hour, gusting up to 120 kmph.
“Even if the storm makes its landfall between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra in Odisha, there will be effect on West Bengal. A helpline (033-22143526) has been launched at Nabanna. Do not panic. Stay alert,” she said.
Meanwhile heavy rains started to lash the coastal districts in the state including South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore. Heavy rains were also reported from West Midnapore district.
“The NSCBI airport in Kolkata will remain shut from 6 pm on Thursday to 9 am on Friday. In all 309 flights have been cancelled including 28 international and 281 domestic flights,” said an airport official.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the cyclone was over northwest and adjoining central Bay of Bengal, about 150 km southeast from Paradip (Odisha) and 250 km south from Sagar Island (West Bengal), around 2:30 pm on Thursday.
The cyclone is also expected to trigger heavy rains, prompting the closure of the Kolkata airport from 6pm on Thursday to 9am on Friday. The South Eastern Railway and Eastern Railway have cancelled trains because of the cyclone. Ferry services between Howrah and Kolkata across the River Hooghly have been suspended.
State disaster management and civil defence minister Javed Khan said over 100,000 people have evacuated from vulnerable and low-lying areas in the coastal districts particularly in East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas. “More are likely to be shifted later in the day. Preparations are going on in full swing,” he said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the cyclone was over northwest and adjoining central Bay of Bengal, about 260 km southeast from Paradip (Odisha) and 350 km south from Sagar Island (West Bengal), around 5:30am on Thursday.
“It is very likely to move north-westwards and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamara in Odisha in the early hours of Friday as a severe cyclone with a wind speed of 100-110 km per hour, gusting up to 120 kmph,” said an IMD official.
In May, severe cyclone Remal crossed Bangladesh and the adjoining West Bengal coast and left a trail of destruction in three coastal districts of the eastern Indian state. At least six people were killed and over 200,000 people were displaced.
Ahead of cyclone Dana, a red alert was issued for districts such as East Midnapore, West Midnapore, and South 24 Parganas and an orange alert for Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, and North 24 Parganas. IMD has said these districts may receive up to over 200mm of rain. Heavy to very heavy rain was expected in places such as Kolkata.
An official in East Midnapore said over 80,000 people have been evacuated from around 13 blocks out of which around 25,000 have been shifted to camps. “Around 7-8 blocks which face the sea are most vulnerable.”
East Midnapore is a coastal district with popular beach destinations such as Digha and Mandarmani.
In South 24 Parganas, over 50,000 people have been evacuated from the coastal villages. “They have been shifted to cyclone shelters and other government buildings. At least five teams of NDRF [National Disaster Response Force] and SDRF [State Disaster Response Force] have been deployed in vulnerable areas such as Gosaba, Sagar, Namkhana, and Kultali. Control rooms are operational at district, sub-division, and block levels,” said an official.