Cyclone Dana made landfall on the coast of Odisha and West Bengal on Thursday night, with high speed winds causing destruction as they moved past the Bay of Bengal. The cyclone uprooted trees and power lines as its landfall continued past Thursday night, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning of fierce weather on Friday.
The severe cyclonic storm made landfall in Odisha and West Bengal with wind speeds of up to 110 kmph, with high-speeds winds leading to massive waves across the coast and and uprooted trees littered on the roads.
District official Siddarth Swain told AFP that the storm had left a "trail of destruction" in the coastal town of Puri. "Many trees and electric poles are uprooted," he added. "Makeshift shops on the sprawling beach have been blown away."
A video posted by news agency ANI showed relief workers braving the high-speed winds and removing uprooted trees from roads for the ease of commuters. Another video going viral on social media shows moments after Cyclone Dana made landfall, with roaring winds and heavy rainfall.
Videos shared by multiple social media users showed meters-high waves crashing on the shore and nearby structures. Lakhs of residents were evacuated from the coastal areas over the last two days in Odisha and West Bengal for their safety during Cyclone Dana.
Read more: Cyclone Dana landfall continues: Flights resumed in Odisha, Kolkata; bus services disrupted
{{/usCountry}}Videos shared by multiple social media users showed meters-high waves crashing on the shore and nearby structures. Lakhs of residents were evacuated from the coastal areas over the last two days in Odisha and West Bengal for their safety during Cyclone Dana.
Read more: Cyclone Dana landfall continues: Flights resumed in Odisha, Kolkata; bus services disrupted
{{/usCountry}}Authorities said that wind speeds reached over 120 kmph and caused significant damage to houses, blowing off roofs in coastal areas.
The NDRF and ODRAF teams have commences restoration work across the two states, removing uprooted trees from the roads as the landfall process continues.
The IMD said at 8.23 am that the "Landfall process continues and the rear sector of the cyclone is entering into the land. The landfall process would continue for the next 1-2 hours. The system is likely to move nearly northwestwards across the north Odisha and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm by the forenoon of October 25."
While the wind speeds have slowed down to 80-90 kmph across the coastal areas, heavy rain continues to lash in different parts of the states and are likely to continue till Saturday.
(With inputs from AFP, PTI)