Bhubaneswar: As Cyclone Dana is approaching Odisha, two Deputy Chief Ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida rushed to vulnerable locations ahead of landfall. 

While KV Singh Deo visited Kendrapara district, where DANA will make landfall at midnight, Pravati Parida reached Astarang in Puri district to take stock of the situation. 

As many as 2.5 lakh people have been evacuated from their houses to shelter houses by this morning. While the highest of 50,000 people have been evacuated in Balasore district, more than 27,000 evacuations have been made in Bhadrak district. The evacuation process is still underway aiming at zero casualty in the cyclone. 

The state government has deployed NDRF and ODRAF teams in identified vulnerable to-be districts for relief and rescue operations. 

"We are ready to face Cyclone DANA. We have evacuated people from vulnerable areas as part of a precautionary measure. However, the residents should not be worried about their properties and possible crop loss, as the police patrolling in place at vacated villages and the government will provide all compensation for crop loss," informed Odisha Disaster & Management Minister Suresh Pujari. 

According to IMD's latest bulletin, the severe cyclonic storm 'Dana' over northwest & adjoining central Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centred about 210 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 240 km south-southeast of Dhamara (Odisha) and 310 km south of Sagar Island (West Bengal).

It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamara (Odisha) during mid-night of 24th to morning of 25th October, 2024 as a Severe Cyclonic Storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting 120 kmph.

According to reports, Cyclone DANA is likely to hit Tikayat Nagar locality at Talachua near Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara district, where the incessant rainfall along with gusty wind already underway.