Cyclone Dana weakens: Likely to become insignificant in next 12 hours

Cyclone Dana weakens: Likely to become insignificant in next 12 hours

Bhubaneswar: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has reported that Cyclone Dana has weakened into a “well-marked” low-pressure area and is expected to diminish further.

Cyclone Dana struck the Odisha coast on Friday, uprooting trees, damaging power lines, and resulting in one death in West Bengal. The storm made landfall between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra in Odisha, with wind speeds reaching 100-110 km/h.

In a post on X, IMD said, “The depression (remnant of severe cyclonic storm “DANA”) over north Odisha moved slightly westwards during the past 6 hours and weakened into a well-marked low-pressure area over the same region. It is likely to weaken further and become insignificant during the next 12 hours.”

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that 4,431 pregnant women have been moved to health centres, with 1,600 childbirths recorded, and all mothers and babies are reported to be healthy. He stated that the situation is being monitored around the clock and expressed confidence that, with the blessings of Lord Jagannath, they will successfully overcome the cyclone.

At a press conference, CM Majhi also mentioned that 800,000 people have been evacuated and efforts to restore electricity are ongoing. He noted that officials are facing challenges due to continuous rainfall.

“Odisha is safe now. After the landfall of the cyclone, I reviewed the situation, and due to teamwork, we achieved zero casualties. We had evacuated eight lakh people. Many relief centres are still open. Restoration of electric wires is going on. We are facing problems due to continuous rain. Crops of 1.75 lakhs hector have been damaged. The Budhabalanga River is flooded but it is flowing below the danger level,” he said.

Majhi also highlighted the deployment of 158 platoons of police for the safety of residents in cyclone-affected areas. “I thank all who are working day and night. They would need to work for another 48 hours,” he added.

Odisha Deputy Chief Minister K.V. Singh Deo reported that there have been zero casualties and that 90 percent of the electricity damage has been repaired. “There has been zero casualty. One cattle was reported lost. Restoration works have been done. 90 per cent of electricity damage has been restored. All government officers have done their work properly. We have given instructions to submit their damage reports,” he said.