Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], October 23 (ANI): Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi convened a meeting to assess the state’s readiness for Cyclone Dana and announced that evacuation efforts are in progress, with the goal of relocating 90 per cent of residents by 11 AM the following day, and noted that between 3-4 lakh people have already been evacuated.
Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Charan Majhi said, “State government is taking cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ very seriously. Arrangements are in place for the affected districts, including Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, and Puri.”
“Evacuation efforts are underway, with over 30 per cent of people relocated. The evacuation process will continue throughout the night, aiming to evacuate 90 per cent of people by 11 am tomorrow. Notably, 3 to 4 lakh people have already been evacuated,” said CM Majhi.
The Odisha Chief Minister also urged citizens to prioritise their safety and remain vigilant, while adding that the government is fully prepared to handle all situations.
Odisha CM Majhi alongside Minister of Revenue and Disaster Management, Suresh Pujari monitored the situation and the path of impending cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ at the State Emergency Control Room under the Special Relief Commissioner office at Rajiv Bhavan in Bhubaneswar
As per the Chief Minister’s Office, “CM Majhi also discussed with senior officials at State Emergency Control Room in the view of Cyclonic storm Dana.”
Meanwhile, Suresh Pujari, Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister also spoke on the preparedness for Cyclone Dana and said, “Preparations have been done. People have started coming to the relief centre, rain has started in many places. Today in the cabinet meeting, we discussed about it in detail and in all the districts where its effect will be seen assessment has been done, senior ministers will also supervise the entire operation.”
“Senior government officials have reached, ODRF people have reached, NDRF people have reached, ration has reached and medicines have also reached every relief centre. Around 6,000 relief centres have been made ready,” said Suresh Pujari.
Puri District Magistrate Siddharth Shankar Swain also spoke to ANI on Cyclone Dana and said, “All instructions have been given by the state government to deal with the Dana cyclone. A meeting of the District Disaster Department was also held in this regard, which included all departments. All departments have been instructed on what kind of arrangements to make. Departmental officers are also being deployed in vulnerable areas.”
“17 fire brigade teams will be present at different places in the district, NDRF, ODRAF teams are also present. 179 shelters and 370 additional shelters have been kept ready. State government advisory has also been issued for tourists,” said Swain.
Puri Superintendent of Police, Vineet Agrawal also spoke on the same and said, “Given the Cyclone Dana the police is ready. Two teams of ODRAF and NDRF have been deployed at strategic locations. Our target is to ensure that there are zero casualties. There are 36 members in a team. I urge the public to not panic and follow the advisories issued by the district administration.”
Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling stated on Wednesday that the Health Department is on high alert in response to Cyclone Dana, which is forecast to make landfall on October 24-25 along the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha.
He noted that directions and instructions have been issued to all CDMOs and that Chief Minister Majhi is personally monitoring the situation.
“The Health Department is on alert. Directions have been given to all CDMOs, and their leave has been cancelled. Measures have also been put in place to address issues related to snake venom. The Chief Minister is personally overseeing the situation,” he said.
Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged people to remain vigilant. In a video message, he highlighted the state’s strong disaster management policy, which he said would help mitigate the cyclone’s impact.
“Please remain alert, prioritise your safety, and cooperate fully with the administration. Do not panic. We have successfully faced several cyclones together in the past. Our effective disaster management policy will help us mitigate the impact. I urge all elected representatives to stand by the people during this challenging time and provide assistance. I firmly believe that, together, we will overcome this cyclone as we have done in the past,” he said.
Speaking to ANI about Cyclone Dana, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) DIG Mohsen Shahidi said that teams are focusing on maximum evacuation before the cyclone makes landfall tomorrow.
“Twenty teams have been deployed in Odisha, 13 in West Bengal, with four teams kept in reserve. Preparations have been made in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizag. We expect maximum evacuation to be completed today, ahead of the cyclone’s landfall tomorrow,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Bhubaneswar, Director IMD, Manorama Mohanty said, “Now it is around 460 km southeast of Paradip and 490 km south-southeast of Dhamra and 540 km south-southeast of Sagar Island. It is very likely to move northwestward and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over northwest Bay of Bengal by early morning and cross North Odisha and West Bengal coast between Puri and Sagar Island close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamra during the night time of October 24 to the morning of October 25 as a severe cyclonic storm and while crossing the coast, the wind speed will be around 100 to 110 km per hour, gusting to 120 km per hour.” (ANI)
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