At least 1.1 million people on India's eastern coast are evacuating to storm shelters inland, as a powerful cyclone is expected to impact the low-lying region, government officials said Thursday.
Cyclone Dana is forecast to strike the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha states, home to approximately 150 million people, as a 'severe cyclonic storm' late on Thursday, according to India's weather bureau. The bureau predicts winds gusting up to 120 kilometers per hour (74 miles per hour).
Major airports, including the key travel hub Kolkata, will close overnight due to the impending storm, which has already brought heavy rain to the sprawling megacity. The eye of the storm is expected to make landfall early Friday near the coal-exporting port of Dhamra, about 230km southwest of Kolkata.
The cyclone is also anticipated to affect neighboring low-lying Bangladesh, where interim government leader Muhammad Yunus stated that 'extensive preparations' are underway. Coastal areas are expected to be inundated by crashing waves, with water levels predicted to surge up to two meters (6.5 feet) above normal tide levels.
Odisha state health minister Mukesh Mahaling informed AFP that 'nearly a million people from the coastal areas are being evacuated to cyclone centers'. In neighboring West Bengal state, government minister Bankim Chandra Hazra reported that 'more than 100,000 people have so far been shifted to safer places'.
Businesses in Puri, a popular beach resort, have been ordered to close, and tourists have been advised to leave. Puri district magistrate Siddharth Swain emphasized that 'all efforts are being made to face the cyclone and save lives'.
Kolkata airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria announced that flights will be suspended overnight Thursday due to 'predicted heavy winds and heavy to very heavy rainfall'. The airport in Bhubaneshwar will also suspend operations, while numerous trains have been canceled and ferries from Kolkata have been ordered to remain in port.
Bangladesh disaster minister Faruk-e-Azam stated that authorities are on 'high alert' but have not issued evacuation orders as the worst of the storm is predicted to hit India. 'We are closely monitoring the cyclone's progress,' he said.
Cyclones, equivalent to hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the northwestern Pacific, are a recurring and deadly threat in the northern Indian Ocean. Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful due to climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels. Warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapor, providing additional energy for storms and strengthening winds. A warming atmosphere also allows storms to hold more water, leading to heavier rainfall.
However, improved forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have significantly reduced death tolls. In May, Cyclone Remal resulted in at least 48 deaths in India and at least 17 deaths in Bangladesh, according to government figures.
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