Mapped: Severe Cyclone Dana makes landfall in India prompting a million people to evacuate

Cyclone Dana made landfall connected India’s eastbound seashore arsenic a terrible storm, uprooting trees with torrential rains and beardown winds.

The tempest entered Odisha authorities past nighttime with maximum sustained winds of astir 68mph and gusts are expected up to 75mph, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

As it made landfall, the tempest pounded immoderate districts successful Odisha and neighbouring West Bengal authorities with dense downpours arsenic gusty winds brought down trees, section media reported.

Dana was expected to weaken into a cyclonic tempest by forenoon arsenic it moves inland.

The landfall process is expected to proceed into Friday arsenic the tempest pushes further into bluish Odisha, earlier gradually weakening implicit the adjacent fewer hours, IMD said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that Dana is moving north-northwest astatine 10kmph and is centred implicit northbound coastal Odisha, astir 30km north-northwest of Dhamra town.

The tempest strategy volition determination deeper successful the state, triggering dense rains, IMD DG Mrutunjay Mohapatra said.

Authorities are inactive assessing harm from winds and storms. As of aboriginal Friday, determination were nary deaths nor immoderate large harm reported.

At slightest 1.1 cardinal radical were evacuated by authorities connected Thursday up of the storm.

Flights and trains were besides suspended amid tempest warnings. However, Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar airports person resumed their operations connected Friday.

Fallen trees and debris blocked immoderate roads successful the coastal regions arsenic cleanup operations began connected Friday.

“There has been monolithic harm to electrical installations owed to histrion falling. Roads are being cleared,” Odisha higher acquisition curate Suryabanshi Suraj, who is successful complaint of Bhadrak district, said, according to NDTV.

Heavy rainfall was forecast to bring the hazard of important flooding successful low-lying areas, the IMD warned connected Thursday up of the storm.

Authorities were connected precocious alert for harm successful 3 districts successful Odisha, wherever the upwind section forecast a oversea surge of astir 1 metre (yard) during the landfall process, which could exacerbate flooding.

“The authorities is afloat prepared to tackle the situation. You are successful harmless hands,” Odisha’s main curate Mohan Charan Majhi told radical earlier the storm’s arrival, according to PTI quality agency.

Schools and nationalist offices were unopen connected Friday and implicit 200 trains were cancelled successful anticipation of the storm’s impact.

West Bengal politician CV Ananda Bose said connected Thursday that the radical person braved galore storms and volition look Dana with assurance and patience.

“Bengal volition basal together. India volition basal together. We shall overcome,” helium said, according to PTI quality agency.

Hundreds of unit from the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) were deployed successful some states.

The squad went door-to-door with loudspeakers making radical alert of the cyclonic storm.

Bangladesh, though not successful the nonstop way of Cyclone Dana, was besides bracing for its impact, peculiarly successful coastal districts similar Khulna and Barisal. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department warned of dense rainfall and tidal surges arsenic the cyclone passes adjacent to the country’s confederate coast.

Parts of neighbouring Jharkhand are besides expected to look dense to precise dense rainfall from Thursday nighttime arsenic the tempest strategy moved inwards.

IMD issued an orangish alert for the Kolhan portion successful East Jharkhand, which includes the districts of West Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharswan, and East Singhbhum.

This alert signals the anticipation of dense rainfall ranging from 115mm to 204mm wrong a 24-hour period, 2 to 4 times the monthly rainfall of London, which could pb to localised flooding.

India’s eastbound coastline has ever been susceptible to cyclones, but the frequence and strength of these storms are connected the emergence owed to the clime crisis.

In the past fewer years, storms similar Cyclone Amphan successful 2020, Cyclone Yaas successful 2021, and Cyclone Fani successful 2019 person killed hundreds of radical and caused billions of dollars successful damages.

Last twelvemonth was India’s deadliest cyclone play successful caller years, sidesplitting 523 radical and costing an estimated £2.3bn successful damage.