Cyclone Dana: Zero casualty mission successful, says Odisha CM as storm completes landfall

Mangalore Today News Network

Bhubaneswar, October 25, 2024: The severe cyclonic storm Dana has shifted north-northwest at a speed of 10 km/h and has since weakened into a cyclonic storm over the northern coast of Odisha. As of 8:30 am today, it was located approximately 30 km northeast of Bhadrak and 50 km north-northwest of Dhamra. The maximum sustained winds near the cyclone’s center are estimated to be between 80-90 km/h, with gusts reaching up to 100 km/h.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the landfall has been completed, and the storm is expected to continue moving northwest across northern Odisha, gradually weakening into a deep depression within the next six hours.

#OdishaBravesDana

Udala PS, Baisinga PS staff along with the Fire department team engaged in restoration works. Conducting road clearance near Radho village road in Udala & Mangobindpur village road.@SRC_Odisha @CMO_Odisha @OdishaFire#CycloneDana#StaySafe #CycloneUpdate pic.twitter.com/jWE5g2zOea

— Collector & District Magistrate Mayurbhanj (@DM_Mayurbhanj) October 25, 2024

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that no one died in Cyclone Dana and the ’zero casualty’ mission was successful.

Majhi said, " Cyclone Dana made landfall on the intervening nights of October 24 and 25 between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra coasts. This process continued till 7.00 am today. Due to vigilant administration and preparedness, there has been no causality. The government’s target of ’zero causality’ is achieved. Almost 6 lakh people have been shifted to safer places. 6,000 pregnant women are shifted to health centres."

Restoration and relief operations are underway following Cyclone Dana’s landfall on the Odisha coast early Friday morning. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed to remove uprooted trees in several villages around Dhamra in the aftermath of the storm. Residents in Dhamra, Bhadrak, and other nearby coastal areas faced rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rainfall as a result of the cyclone’s impact.

Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport, which had temporarily closed due to Cyclone Dana as a precaution, resumed flight operations at 8 AM on Friday following the cyclone’s landfall on Odisha’s coast. Additionally, the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata also restarted its flight services at the same time after being shut down the previous day.