As cyclone Dana approaches the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal, skies have turned overcast with thick clouds and winds have become stronger. The clouds are likely to become dense and dark and winds too will turn gusty and roaring, towards the evenings and night hours. The cyclone is expected to make landfall between Puri and Sagar Islands on the intervening night of 24th October and 25th October. The wee hours of 25th October are more probable for the strike of the storm.
As a precautionary measure, air operations will remain suspended at Kolkata and Bhubaneswar, between 5 p.m. today and 9 a.m. tomorrow. Over 200 trains, including the premium ones, have been cancelled. Transportation will be restricted and only essential services will be permitted. Schools and universities have been closed and the offices too will have limited work. Over 4 lakh people have been evacuated and taken to safe shelters. Arrangements are in place for the most vulnerable and risky districts of Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur and Puri. The coastline of West Bengal from Digha, Contai, Nandigram and Diamond Harbour also remains vulnerable. Even the interiors extending and covering Bishnupur, Howrah, Kolkata and South Twenty-Four Pargana will be susceptible to adverse weather conditions.
The cyclone is moving steadily northwest towards the Odisha coast. The outer bands and peripherals of the storm have started impacting the weather conditions. These are further likely to worsen and stay adverse during the night and morning hours. The landfall may commence anytime, late in the night or wee hours of 25th Oct and continue for the next 4-5 hours. The cyclone is expected to be packed with winds in excess of 100km/h and gusting to about 125km/h. The combination of gale-speed winds and pouring heavy rains is considered the deadliest and responsible for all the damage.
The coastline will be at risk of getting submerged by flooding waters and remaining inundated for long durations. The storm surge, with a wave height of 15-20 feet will be over and above the astronomical tide to make things worse. The process of landfall, as such, will be a long process and may take about 3-4 hours to complete. The cyclone will retain its intensity of storm for about six hours, even after crossing the coast. Disruption in communication and connectivity will continue through the day tomorrow. Restoration and rehabilitation work will possibly commence later tomorrow or the next day.
