Cyclone ‘Dana’: Odisha Ports Put On Alert, Danger Signal-1 Hoisted

Bhubaneswar: In view of the impending cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ in Bay of Bengal, the Odisha government on Tuesday ordered hoisting of distance cautionary signals in the ports located in in Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur and Bhadrak districts.

In a communication to the Collectors of these three districts, Additional Special Relief Commissioner (ASRC) Padmanav Behera asked them to intimate the authorities of Gopalpur, Paradip and Dhamra ports to hoist Signal DC-1.

“It is requested to intimate and coordinate with the port authority of Gopalpur, Paradip and Dhamra to hoist Signal DC-1. It may be treated as Extremely Urgent,” the letter said.

It may be noted that the well-marked low pressure area over eastcentral Bay of Bengal concentrated into a depression in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the well-marked low-pressure area over Eastcentral Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards, concentrated into a depression. It was about 730 km southeast of Paradip, 770 km south-southeast of Sagar Island and 740 km south-southeast of Khepupara (Bangladesh) at 5.30 am.

“It is very likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 23 over Eastcentral Bay of Bengal. Thereafter, continuing to move northwestwards, it is very likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over Northwest Bay of Bengal by October 24 morning and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island during night of October 24 and morning of October 25as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting 120 kmph,” the IMD said in its morning bulletin.

The weather agency has predicted light to moderate rainfall at most places in Odisha with heavy rainfall at isolated places on October 23 and October 26. Heavy to very heavy rainfall may occur at a few places with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places on October 24-25. Red warning has been issued for Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Jagatsingpur, Jajpur and Cuttack on October 24 and Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Keonjhar on October 25.