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The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for Cyclone Dana, which is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over the northwestern Bay of Bengal by early Friday. The cyclone is currently moving northwestwards and is expected to cross the northern Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island between Thursday night and Friday morning.
The districts likely to experience the most severe impact of the storm include South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur, along with coastal areas and neighbouring districts like Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Jhargram, and Hooghly. In anticipation of the storm's impact, the West Bengal government has taken several precautionary measures, including closing schools in eight districts from October 23 to 26 and placing these districts on high alert. The Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, has emphasized the state's preparedness and highlighted the establishment of integrated 24x7 control rooms at state and district levels to monitor the situation and coordinate responses.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 14 teams in West Bengal on standby, while the Indian Coast Guard is on high alert, conducting extensive sea and air patrols. To ensure safety, fishing boats and other vessels along the eastern coast have been guided to shore. Additionally, tourists and pilgrims from coastal areas have been advised to evacuate. The IMD has issued a heavy rainfall alert for several districts in West Bengal, anticipating heavy to very heavy rainfall in East Midnapore, West Midnapore, South 24 Parganas, and North 24 Parganas districts. Extremely heavy rainfall is possible in some areas, while Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, and Jhargram districts are also expected to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall. The wind speed as of Wednesday was 60-70 kmph with gusts of 80 kmph, but these are predicted to increase to 70-90 kmph and 100 kmph respectively between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. The IMD predicts a decrease in wind speed after that.