Cyclone Dana Highlights: Cyclonic storm to cross Odisha, West Bengal on Oct 24

Cyclone Dana live updates: Local authorities in West Bengal are preparing for the impending cyclone by evacuating residents from low-lying areas in affected districts.

Ferry services in coastal regions have been suspended, and tourist movements are being closely monitored.

Chief secretary Manoj Pant has coordinated meetings with the NDRF, SDRF, and local disaster management units to ensure safety of all citizens.

Officials are also assessing the condition of street lights and checking for exposed electrical wires to prevent fire and electrocution hazards during the cyclone.

Authorities have deployed hydraulic ladders, cranes, payloaders, and dumpers to clear fallen trees and debris that may obstruct roads.

Cyclone Dana live updates: The Odisha government on Tuesday announced the closure of two of its national parks - Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district and Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district - in view of the impending cyclone.

Both the Mayurbhanj and Kendrapara districts have been identified as “Red Zone”. These two districts could bear the brunt of the calamity, officials said.

The forest department has announced that the Bhitarkanika National Park and Similipal Tiger Reserve will remain closed to visitors and tourists from October 23 to October 25.

The date of reopening will be decided keeping in view the prevailing situation in the areas.

Cyclone Dana live updates: Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi has called upon all MLAs in the state to visit their respective constituencies and coordinate rescue operations at the ground level in light of the incoming cyclone.

CM Majhi urged all MLAs irrespective of parties to work for the good of the people.

In a post on X, the CM said, “It is essential that all the MLAs should remain present in their respective constituencies in order to coordinate with the administration for relief and rescue operations being done in view of the cyclone and heavy rainfall situation.”

Cyclone Dana live updates: The 39th National Junior Athletics Championships scheduled to take place in Kalinga stadium from October 25-30 have been postponed due to the incoming Cyclone Dana, stated the Athletics Federation of India on Tuesday.

The next date for the five-day meet will be published soon, said the AFI in their statement.

Cyclone Dana live updates: Villagers living near Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha expressed confidence on Tuesday that the rich mangrove forest cover would save them from the damage of Cyclone Dana.

The Park has withstood the impact of several cyclones in the past including the 1999 October Super Cyclone.

“We are quite hopeful that the well-protected mangrove cover here will ensure the safety of humans, flora and fauna as these species are gifted with capacity to withstand high wind velocity,” divisional forest officer, Sudarshan Gopinath Yadav said.

“We are a bit scared. Still, we are hopeful that the mangrove may save us again. The coastal woodland has the capacity to withstand the wind velocity up to 200 kilometres per hour,” said Pradip Das, a resident of Dangamal village which is close to the park.

Cyclone Dana live updates: DG Fire Services, Dr Sudhanshu Sarangi told news agency ANI that sixty teams had been dispatched to prepare for Cyclone Dana.

“Sixty teams of Odisha Fire department, Twenty teams of NDRF and Seventeen teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force will be sent to their respective locations,” he said.

He added, "We have all the necessary equipment to carry out the rescue operations.The public should also be well-prepared and follow the advisory issued by the respective departments."

Cyclone Dana live updates: More than 150 express and passenger trains running through South Eastern Railway jurisdiction have been cancelled from October 23-25, a railways official declared on Tuesday.

The trains have been cancelled in light of the expected landfall of the Cyclone Dana on the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha.

The trains cancelled include Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express, Kamakhya-Yesvantpur AC Express, Howrah-Puri Shatabdi Express, Howrah-Bhubaneswar Shatabdi Express and Howrah-Yesvantpur Express.

Further cancellations may follow depending on the impact of the cyclone.

Cyclone Dana live updates: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday stated that her state was ready to face Cyclone Dana and had made all necessary preparations.

“Our government is ready to face this cyclonic storm. We have already started integrated control rooms at state and district levels and they are working 24X7. As a precautionary measure, fishermen have been asked not to venture into the seas,” she said.

She added, “Public address systems are in place in the coastal areas. The district magistrates (DMs) and Superintendents of police (SPs) have been asked to keep their eyes open till the situation normalises.”

Cyclone Dana live updates: The Sundarbans administration has launched an awareness campaign ahead of Cyclone Dana's expected landfall on Thursday.

Pilgrims of Kapilmuni Temple in Gangasagar have been advised to stay away from the sea shore.

Cyclone Dana live updates: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that schools will remain closed in nine districts from October 23 to 26 as a precautionary measure.

"We do not want to take any risk. Schools and colleges are sometimes used as shelters for people," Banerjee said.

North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Bankura, East Midnapore, West Midnapore and Jhargram districts will be monitored by ministers in the area.

Cyclone Dana live updates: Jagatsinghpur collector J. Sonal told news agency ANI on Tuesday that they are awaiting IMD's prediction on the exact landfall of Cyclone Dana.

The collector said, “IMD has yet not predicted the exact landfall of the cyclone but according to the information it could be somewhere between Para deep and Sagar Island.”

He added that all arrangements and evacuation plans for the region have been made in advance.

Cyclone Dana live updates: The Kolkata airport authorities have begun preparations to deal with the incoming cyclonic storm Dana that is likely to hit the coast of Odisha and West Bengal on October 24.

"The standard operating procedures such as inspection of the airport infrastructure and the drainage system, checking and servicing of all installations are being carried out", the director of the airport, Dr Pravat Ranjan Beuria, told PTI.

Cyclone Dana live updates: Jajpur Collector and DM, Anvesha Reddy spoke to news agency ANI and detailed plans for the district ahead of the arrival of Cyclone Dana.

She said that the district had set up 26 permanent cyclone shelters as well as several more temporary shelters in nearby schools.

“We are fully prepared with line departments and field teams on alert. The availability of all basic facilities at temporary and permanent cyclone shelters has been reviewed. The evacuation plan is ready, also preparation for the restoration work is done. Our mission is to do restoration at the earliest,” she said.

Cyclone Dana live updates: The India Meteorological Department has predicted that as Cyclone Dana hits the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal on October 24, Mizoram, Assam, Meghalaya and Jharkhand are likely to experience heavy rainfall as well.

Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur are also likely to experience heavy rainfall on the same date.

On October 25, the IMD has predicted very heavy rainfall in Jharkhand and some rainfall in coastal Andhra Pradesh as well.

Cyclone Dana live updates: Several teams of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) have been deployed in Cuttack, as cyclone Dana approaches the Odisha coast on Thursday.

NDRF teams and the ODRAF have been kept on standby in various vulnerable districts.

Cyclone Dana live updates: A low pressure has strengthened into depression over Bay of Bengal as Cyclone Dana forms.

According to the IMD, the depression will further intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 23 and cross north Odisha and southern West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island in the early morning hours of October 25 as a severe cyclonic storm.

Cyclone Dana live updates: The India Meteorological Department's director general, Mrutunjay Mohapatra, said on Tuesday, that Odisha and particularly northern districts of the state are likely to bear the brunt of the impact of Cyclone Dana.

He also stated that the entire eastern coast from Puri and West Bengal coast would be severely affected, though the landfall of the cyclonic storm will be known later.

Cyclone Dana live updates: The IMD has shared forecasts for October 27-29 after Cyclone Dana hits the Odisha coast.

According to the weather department, rainfall will reduce October 27 onwards with heavy rainfall in the northern districts of Mayurbhanj, Deoghar, Angul, Cuttack, Sundergarh and Bargarh, while Puri, Malkangiri, Koraput, Nuapada, Sonepur and Gajapati will experience scattered rainfall.

No rainfall is predicted for the rest of Odisha over October 28 and 29, with the exception of isolated rainfall in Cuttack, Gajapati, Puri, Balasore and other districts situated close to the coast.

Cyclone Dana live updates: The Indian Coast Guard said on Tuesday that it was on high alert and had mobilised its vessels and aircraft to respond to any emergency during Cyclone Dana.

The ICG has deployed helicopters and remote operating stations at Haldia in West Bengal and Paradip in Odisha to broadcast regular weather warnings and safety advisories to fishermen.

They are also working with local administration and disaster management authorities in West Bengal and Odisha to ensure a coordinated and effective response, they said in a statement.

Cyclone Dana live updates: The IMD has shared predictions of rainfall in Odisha as Cyclone Dana nears.

On October 25, the weather department has predicted heavy rainfall in southern districts such as Malkangiri and Koraput as well as Puri and Nuapada.

From Angul to Mayurbhanj, the IMD has forecasted very heavy rainfall. Areas like Cuttack, Balasore and Sundergarh will also deal with very heavy rainfall on October 25.

The weather department has issued a blanket warning for very heavy rainfall across all districts in Odisha on October 26.

Cyclone Dana live updates: The IMD has provided rainfall forecasts for 7 days from October 23 to October 19, as Cyclone Dana is set to make contact with Odisha's coast.

On October 24, the IMD predicts scattered rainfall in Malkangiri, Koraput, Deoghar, Kalahandi and more districts which are landlocked. Districts situated along the coast such as Puri, Bhadrak, Balasore as well as Cuttack are expected to experience heavy rainfall.

Cyclone Dana live updates: The India Meteorological Department has shared rainfall forecasts from Day 1 to Day 7, starting from October 23 when Cyclone Dana is set to intensify.

On October 23 (Day 1), the IMD has predicted isolated rainfall in the Koraput and Malkangiri districts. Other districts are predicted to remain majorly unaffected on October 23 with no rainfall.

Cyclone Dana live updates: 800 relief shelters have been established for people who will be evacuated from vulnerable areas as Cyclone Dana hits the coast of Odisha on October 24.

Odisha revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari told news agency PTI on Tuesday that officials have inspected 250 cyclone relief centres where people will be housed after evacuation to make sure essentials such as food, water, medicine and electricity are available.

Apart from 800 cyclone shelters, the minister said an additional 500 temporary shelters have been made ready, including schools and colleges.

Cyclone Dana live updates: Chief minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, has set a “zero casualty” target ahead of Cyclone Dana which will hit the coast on October 24.

CM Majhi directed officials to ensure 100 per cent evacuation of people from areas likely to be affected by the cyclone. He also directed the officials to stock food, drinking water and medicines in cyclone shelters in adequate quantity.

Tourists have also been encouraged to leave Puri before October 24 to avoid any mishaps.

Cyclone Dana live updates: As Cyclone Dana approaches the Odisha coast, traders stated on Tuesday that consumers are panic buying vegetables such as potatoes and onions, reported news agency ANI.

At Chhatra Bazaar in Cuttack, the price of potato has increased from ₹30 to ₹50 per kg. The price of onion has also increased to ₹60 per kg from ₹40 in the market.

Tomatoes are being sold for ₹80 to 100 in Bhubaneswar, traders said.

The price of other vegetables like brinjal, ladyfinger, cauliflower has also increased by ₹10 to 20 per kilo.