Cyclone Dana Landfall Live: The severe cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ is intensifying over the Bay of Bengal and is moving towards the Odisha coast at a speed of 4 km per hour with a landfall expected on the intervening night of this Thursday and Friday. The projected timeline for the cyclone indicates it will hit the coast between Puri and Sagar Island late on October 24 and early on October 25, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Trains Cancelled: In view of Cyclone ‘Dana’, the Indian Railways has cancelled nearly 350 trains to ensure passenger safety. As many as 198 trains have been cancelled. As per the bulletin issued by the East Coast Railway (ECoR), the cancelled trains include Howrah-Secunderabad Express, Shalimar-Puri Super Fast Express, New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Express, Howrah-Bhubaneswar Express, Howrah-Puri Super Fast Express, New Delhi-Puri Express, Kharagpur-Khordha Express, Sambalpur-Puri Express and Rourkela-Bhubaneswar Express.
According to a recent notification by ECoR, some train services will remain suspended for three days, from October 23 to October 25. A 24/7 Disaster Management Cell has been established at ECoR’s headquarters and divisional offices to facilitate rapid restoration of train services and infrastructure following potential disruptions.
Odisha CM Majhi Highlights Evacuation Efforts: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi convened a meeting to assess the state’s readiness for Cyclone Dana and announced that evacuation efforts are in progress, with the goal of relocating 90 per cent of residents by 11 AM the following day, and noted that between 3-4 lakh people have already been evacuated. Charan Majhi said, “State government is taking cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ very seriously. Arrangements are in place for the affected districts, including Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, and Puri.”
“Evacuation efforts are underway, with over 30 per cent of people relocated. The evacuation process will continue throughout the night, aiming to evacuate 90 per cent of people by 11 am tomorrow. Notably, 3 to 4 lakh people have already been evacuated,” said CM Majhi.
