BHUBANESHWAR: Between three and four lakh people were evacuated from vulnerable areas on Wednesday as the govt tightened its belt to meet the challenges likely to be posed by Cyclone Dana, expected to make landfall early on Friday.
The wind speed during the landfall, likely between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra, will be around 100-120 km per hour, IMD sources said.
Reviewing preparations, chief minister Mohan Majhi assured people they are in safe hands. So far, 30% of the population has been relocated from areas likely to be affected by the cyclone and by Thursday morning, 90% relocation is expected to be completed.
The chief minister said the districts of Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack and Puri are likely to be affected the most, but if the path changes, other districts might also be impacted.
“The govt is prepared for this as well,” Majhi said.
The cyclone lay centred about 460 km southeast of Paradip and is expected to make landfall as a severe cyclonic storm.
‘Storm surge of 1-2m expected in 3 districts’IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said, “Extremely heavy rain with wind speed of 100 to 120 kmph could batter Kendrapada, Bhadrak and Balasore districts while storm surge up to 1-2 metres is expected in these districts.”
Puri, Dhamra and Paradip have been accorded great danger signal of 10 (the most on a scale of 1-10) with Gopalpur port at 8. “The signal of great danger is given to ports on the basis of the closeness or distance of the cyclone to it,” said Manorama Mohanty, director of IMD’s Bhubaneswar Centre.
Under the influence of Cyclone Dana, several coastal districts started getting rainfall from Wednesday. As many as 182 teams of fire personnel have been deployed in different districts and over 50 teams of ODRAF and 20 teams of NDRF in districts likely to be affected.
The ST and SC development department on Wednesday instructed welfare officers of 14 districts to ensure the safety of boarders in all residential schools and hostels.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.Minati Singha is a correspondent at The Times of India, and cover...
Read MoreMinati Singha is a correspondent at The Times of India, and covers education, health, art, culture and lifestyle trends. She is fun-loving and adventurous, with a ‘never say no’ attitude. Her hobbies include reading novels, listening to music and watching movies.
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