Image used for illustrative purposes. Photo: ANI File
Cyclone Dana is posing a threat to the eastern Indian states of West Bengal and Odisha, with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting it will make landfall between Puri and Sagar Island from Thursday night to Friday morning, with wind speeds reaching up to 120 kmph.
India's Cabinet Secretary, T V Somanathan, convened an emergency meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee to assess the preparedness for the approaching cyclone. The IMD's Director General informed the meeting that a low-pressure area over the east central Bay of Bengal is expected to move northwestwards and intensify into a depression by October 22, further developing into Cyclone Dana by the following day.
The IMD further stated, "Thereafter, it will reach the Odisha-West Bengal coasts by October 24 morning." It is anticipated to make landfall between Puri and Sagar Island along the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal during the night of October 24 and the early morning of October 25 as a severe cyclonic storm, with wind speeds up to 120 kmph.
The Indian Cabinet Secretariat has advised fishermen not to venture out to sea, and those already at sea have been instructed to seek safe harbor. Additionally, the National Disaster Response Force has stationed 14 teams in West Bengal and 11 teams in Odisha on standby for deployment. Rescue and relief teams from the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard, along with ships and aircraft, have been placed on high alert.
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