Cyclone Dana to make landfall on Thursday between Odisha's Puri & West Bengal's Sagar Island

BHUBANESWAR: Cyclone Dana is likely to make landfall as a "severe cyclonic storm" between Puri in Odisha and Sagar Island in West Bengal on Thursday night, IMD said on Monday.

Odisha's coastal districts. are likely to receive very heavy rain up to 20-30 cm with a wind speed of 100-110 km per hour gusting to 120 kmph, according to the MET department.

Anticipating the impact, govt asked tourists in Puri to leave town by Tuesday after- noon and asked district collectors to take a call on school holidays.

Chief minister Mohan Majhi chaired a preparatory meeting on Monday and asked officials to strive for zero casualty by shifting people from the areas likely to be affected to safer places.

A red alert for extremely heavy rain and gusty wind has been issued for seven dis tricts Mayurbhanj. Cuttack, Jajpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur from Thursday while other districts will also get heavy rain.

'Some places may get 30cm of rain in 24 hrs'

According to the IMD forecast, rainfall is likely to begin in coastal districts of the state from Wednesday while the intensity will increase sub- sequently. Some places in coastal Odisha may get extremely heavy rainfall up to 30 cm in 24 hours with wind speed of 100-120 kmph.

"After the low pressure intensifies into a depres- sion, the exact area of land- fall can be ascertained. From the current state, it seems it will be a medium- impact cyclone. Though rainfall will begin from Oct 23, the next two days will be crucial for the state as heavy rain between 7 and 20 cm and up to 30 cm may oc- cur at some places, and strong winds will blow up to 100-110 km per hour," said IMD's director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.

"Thatched houses. standing crops, electric and telephone poles are likely to be damaged in the cyclone. There is possibility of inundation in low-lying areas, so states may prepare for evacuation of people to safer places," Mohapatra said, advising people not to believe any rumour.

Union Cabinet secretary TV Somanathan chaired a meeting of National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) in New Delhi on Monday, where state chief secretary Manoj Ahuja spoke about the preparatory measures being taken to protect people in the expected path of cyclone.

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