Cyclone Dana: Over 150 trains cancelled, 30 rescue teams on standby as Odisha, Bengal await landfall

Odisha and West Bengal are evacuating coastal areas as Cyclone Dana approaches, predicted to make landfall between Thursday night and Friday. Over 150 trains have been canceled, and rescue teams are on high alert.

As Odisha and West Bengal brace for Cyclone Dana, which will likely make landfall in Odisha's Puri and West Bengal's Sagar Island during Thursday night and Friday, both states have started evacuating people from areas likely to be affected by the cyclone. Educational institutions have been closed in regions that are at risk, and rescue teams, including members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), have arrived in both states.

Due to the storm, more than 150 trains operating within the jurisdiction of South Eastern Railway have been canceled, according to news agency PTI. As of 11.30 p.m. Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the deep depression in the east-central Bay of Bengal had moved westward and was centered around 720 km from Sagar Island and 670 km from Paradip in Odisha.

According to the meteorological agency, the depression will "very likely" strengthen into a cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal during the course of the next twelve hours. On Thursday night and Friday early, it is expected to strengthen into a powerful cyclonic storm, Dana, which will hit land in Puri and Sagar Island.

A total of 14 NDRF units in West Bengal and 20 teams in Odisha are on alert. Additional rescue and relief teams of the Army, Navy and Coast Guard along with ships and aircraft have been kept in readiness. Ahead of Cyclone Dana, the state administration has issued Distance Cautionary (DC-I) warnings in three important ports: Gopalpur, Paradip, and Dhamara.

Along with 20 NDRF teams, 51 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams and 178 fire service teams have also been deployed in susceptible areas, an Odisha government official told news agency PTI. According to a statement, the state administration intends to relocate more than 10 lakh residents from 3,000 villages spread over 14 districts to relief camps.

Residents of the areas in Odisha that are most likely to be impacted by Cyclone Dana will be housed in multipurpose cyclone shelters, flood shelters, and other structures.

With its committed staff and resources prepared to offer help, rescue, and relief, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said that it is on high alert. To provide fishermen and seafarers with frequent weather forecasts and safety advice, the ICG has set up remote operating stations and helicopters in Haldia, West Bengal, and Paradip, Odisha.

The Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express, Kamakhya-Yesvantpur AC Express, Howrah-Puri Shatabdi Express, Howrah-Bhubaneswar Shatabdi Express, and Howrah-Yesvantpur Express are among the more than 150 trains that have been canceled as a precaution.