Sangbad Voice 9, Odisha and Kolkata Desk: Coastal
Odisha has been besieged by fierce winds and torrential rains as Cyclone Dana
made its fateful landfall between the verdant expanses of Bhitarkanika National
Park and the port town of Dhamra shortly after midnight on Thursday, as
reported by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The cyclone struck land
at approximately 12:10 am, precisely between Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara
district and Dhamra in Bhadrak district. Manorama Mohanty, the regional
director of IMD Bhubaneswar, indicated that the landfall process is anticipated
to persist until Friday morning, after which the cyclone is expected to
diminish in intensity and veer towards the districts of Dhenkanal and Angul
rather than Keonjhar.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has promulgated a red
alert for regions such as East Midnapore, West Midnapore, South 24 Parganas,
and Jhargram districts, forewarning of exceptionally torrential downpours. An
orange alert has been designated for Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas,
Purulia, and Bankura districts, encompassing Kolkata, due to anticipated
substantial rainfall. Concurrently, a yellow alert has been issued for the
remaining districts of South Bengal.
The
forecast for Kolkata today predicts a predominantly overcast sky with intense
precipitation. The maximum temperature is anticipated to reach 26 degrees
Celsius, while the minimum is projected at 23 degrees Celsius. Relative
humidity is expected to fluctuate between a staggering 90 and 91 percent,
creating a rather oppressive atmosphere.
As the
cyclone's core makes contact with the land, wind velocities are projected to
escalate to a staggering 120 kmph, with the landfall process likely enduring
for four to five hours. The Doppler weather radar stationed at Paradip is
meticulously tracking the evolving system. Odisha's Chief Minister Mohan Charan
Majhi disclosed that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister
Amit Shah have sought updates regarding the state's readiness to mitigate the
cyclone's repercussions. Majhi further noted that approximately 584,000
individuals have been evacuated from perilous, low-lying coastal zones.
Initially,
the Odisha government had aimed to evacuate one million residents; however,
this figure was recalibrated upon realizing that Cyclone Dana would manifest as
significantly less formidable than initially anticipated.
The
IMD has also forecasted scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall (ranging from 7
to 20 cm), with isolated pockets experiencing extremely heavy downpours
(exceeding 20 cm) in the districts of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack,
Bhadrak, Jajpur, Balasore, and Mayurbhanj. From Friday morning through Saturday
morning, similar meteorological conditions are expected to prevail in isolated
areas of Jajpur, Bhadrak, Puri, Dhenkanal, Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur,
Kendrapada, and Angul, according to an IMD official.
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