Cyclone Dana: Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Oct 23: As Cyclone Dana approaches the Odisha coast, the state government is ramping up evacuation efforts for residents in vulnerable areas while ensuring they receive essential supplies.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari announced on Wednesday that over 5,000 relief centers have been established in cyclone-prone regions to provide food, drinking water, milk, and medicines to evacuees. The government aims to evacuate approximately ten lakh people from these high-risk areas.
Minister Pujari urged residents not to panic, assuring them that the telecom network would remain operational throughout the storm, as the telecom department has committed to uninterrupted service. In terms of power supply, Tata Power has promised continuous electricity, supported by backup arrangements in case of outages.
So far, 288 rescue teams have been deployed to critical locations across 14 districts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that Cyclone Dana will make landfall near Bhitarkanika and Dhamra between October 24 and 25.
The deep depression has intensified into a cyclonic storm, moving northwest at a speed of 15 km/h and is currently situated 520 km southeast of Paradip. It is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of October 24, with landfall anticipated around midnight to early morning of October 25, with wind speeds ranging from 100-110 km/h and gusts reaching 120 km/h. The state is fully prepared to handle the impending storm.
