Bhubaneswar. Cyclonic storm Dana, which arose from the Andaman Sea, is moving rapidly towards the Bay of Bengal. It will hit the coast of Odisha on the night of 24 October or morning of 25 October. At that time the wind speed is likely to be more than 120 kilometers per hour. There is a possibility of major damage due to this storm. Along with Odisha, its impact will be visible in five other states. To protect them from the effects of the storm, about 10 lakh people have been evacuated from their homes to safe places.
The effect of the cyclonic storm will be visible in Odisha, West Bengal, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. But according to the Meteorological Department, the storm will have the biggest impact on Odisha. Its impact will be visible in half of the state. The storm is still five hundred kilometers away, but is moving at a speed of 13 kilometers per hour. The Meteorological Department has predicted Storm Dana to turn into a severe cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal by the morning of October 24.
This storm can hit anytime between the night of 24th October to the morning of 25th October between Puri district of Odisha and Sagar island of West Bengal. During this period the wind speed will be 120 kilometers. To deal with the storm, Odisha has deployed 288 teams of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and Disaster Relief Force (ODRF) as well as fire brigade. All schools and colleges in 14 districts which are likely to be seriously affected by the storm have been closed till October 25. 10 lakh people of these districts have been taken to safe places.
In view of the severity of the storm, leaves of government employees have been cancelled. The state has also asked for additional NDRF teams. One hundred and fifty trains have been canceled in Odisha and about two hundred trains in Bengal. More than three thousand tourists in Puri have been sent back home and hotel bookings have been stopped for the next four days. Due to the storm, the preliminary examination of Odisha Civil Services Examination, 2023 has been postponed. This examination was to be held on 27 October.