Cyclone Dana to strike Odisha-Bengal coast: How devastating is it expected to be?

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning about Cyclone Dana, predicted to strike the Odisha-West Bengal coast this week.

Forming over the east-central Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, the cyclonic storm is expected to unleash heavy rainfall and strong winds along the Bengal-Odisha coast on October 23 and 24, reports The Times of India.

The Indian Meteorological Department’s Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra has indicated that the storm may also intensify into a “severe cyclonic storm”, with high wind speeds up to 120 kmph.  

In response, authorities are ramping up preventive measures and issuing urgent warnings, prompting residents of Odisha and West Bengal to prepare for the looming landfall.  

How are governments preparing? How much impact Cyclone Dana can have? Here’s what we know so far.

About Cyclone Dana

Cyclone Dana got its name from Qatar, one of the 14 countries in the World Meteorological Organization’s tropical cyclone naming system for the North Indian Ocean. The name “Dana” is rooted in Arabic, meaning “generosity” or “bounty."

In its latest bulletin, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said, “A low-pressure area is very likely to form over the east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Andaman Sea during next 24 hours. It is very likely to move west-north-westwards and intensify into a depression by October 22 morning and into a cyclonic storm by October 23 over east-central Bay of Bengal."

The IMD Director General Mohapatra noted that this system is anticipated to develop into a severe cyclonic storm, bringing heavy to very heavy rainfall to parts of Odisha.

He warned that certain coastal regions could experience as much as 20 cm of rainfall on October 24 and 25, with the intensity potentially rising to between 20 to 30 cm, and exceeding 30 cm in some areas.

While the precise landfall location of Cyclone Dana remains uncertain, major weather models, including IMD-GFS and ECMWF, suggest that it may strike Odisha’s Puri, reports Odia newspaper SambadEnglish.

In view of Cyclone Dana, the IMD has issued a red alert for heavy rain in Odisha’s Puri, Khurda, Ganjam, and Jagatsinghpur districts. In addition, warnings about wind conditions indicate that squally winds of 40-50 km/h, gusting to 60 km/h, are expected to begin on the evening of October 23 along the Odisha-West Bengal coast.

These wind speeds could escalate to 100-110 km/h, with gusts reaching up to 120 km/h from the night of October 24 through the morning of October 25.

Furthermore, the IMD has issued an orange alert for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to heavy rainfall expected on October 20, while other states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, coastal Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Goa, are under yellow alerts.

How are authorities preparing?

Cyclones frequently impact Odisha’s coastline, and authorities are taking the threat seriously in implementing precautionary measures to mitigate potential damage.

On Sunday evening, a high-level meeting chaired by Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja was held to assess the situation.

“Our top priority is zero casualty during a disaster. The administrative machinery of coastal districts likely to be affected has been kept on high alert and has been asked to keep cyclone shelters ready.

“Pregnant women who may deliver in the next 15 days in these districts would be shifted to hospitals by October 22,” special relief commissioner, Deoranjan Kumar Singh was quoted by Times of India, as saying.

Authorities have also issued warnings to residents and tourists, advising against visiting seaside areas during the cyclone. Emergency response teams, including heavy machinery operators, have been mobilised to address any crisis, Singh added.

The National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), and fire services have been placed on standby. Fishermen have been cautioned not to venture into the sea, said IMD.

“We have advised marine fishermen to secure their vessels in harbours and jetties as part of the preparations for Cyclone Dana,” Singh told magazine Down to Earth.

Further, Cyclone shelters in coastal villages are being prepared to accommodate residents, and evacuations from vulnerable areas are underway.

Though the cyclone is anticipated to strike the coastal state later this week, Singh mentioned that it is still too early to determine the full scope of its impact, though thousands of people may be affected.

“We have arranged for the evacuation of villagers from high-risk areas during the daytime,” Nilu Mohapatra, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Kendrapara told the magazine.

Furthermore, Ahuja has also called for early preparations, including securing generators, fuel, and water tankers, as well as ensuring medical facilities are equipped with anti-venom for snake bites.

Arabinda Mandal, former sarpanch of Jamboo, one of the districts on high alert, told Down to Earth, “We are not taking any chances, given the cyclone’s potential ferocity. We are praying for safety.”

With input from agencies