New Delhi:

Schools have been shut and over 150 trains cancelled as Odisha and West Bengal brace for Cyclone “Dana”, which is likely to cross the coasts between Puri and Sagar Island in the early hours of October 25 with wind speeds of up to 120 kmph. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) this morning said that a deep depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal has intensified into a cyclonic storm ‘Dana’.

At 5.30 am today, the system lay 560 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha) and 630 km south-southeast of Sagar Island (West Bengal), it said.

It is very likely to move in a northwestward direction and intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm over the northwest Bay of Bengal by Thursday morning, the premier weather agency said.

Subject: Cyclonic storm over eastcentral Bay of Bengal (Cyclone Alert for Odisha and West Bengal coasts)

Yesterday’s deep depression over Eastcentral Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 18 kmph during past 6 hours intensified into a cyclonic storm “DANA”… pic.twitter.com/erbYsIBmaw

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) October 23, 2024

The Met department advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till October 25.

Cyclone Dana Shuts Schools In Odisha

In Odisha, all educational institutions including schools, colleges and universities have been shut in 14 districts till October 25 ahead of Cyclone Dana’s landfall.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi-led Odisha government has cancelled leave for its employees and placed all coastal districts on high alert.

The Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and fire service personnel have also been put on standby, with particular attention to the districts of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Balasore, Bhadrak, Ganjam and Khorda.

Bengal Braces For Cyclone Dana

In West Bengal, schools in seven districts will remain closed till October 26 in view of Cyclone Dana. The districts likely to be impacted most include South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur, along with coastal areas and neighbouring districts like Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Jhargram, and Hooghly.

“We do not want to take any risk. Schools and colleges are sometimes used as shelters for people,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, adding her government is ready to face the cyclone.

More than 150 express/passenger trains running through South Eastern Railway (SER) jurisdiction have been cancelled.

The Kolkata-headquartered SER zone is spread over West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.

The trains cancelled include Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express, Kamakhya-Yesvantpur AC Express, Howrah-Puri Shatabdi Express, Howrah-Bhubaneswar Shatabdi Express and Howrah-Yesvantpur Express.

An official said the trains cancelled were scheduled to depart their originating stations between October 23 and 25.

More trains running through the SER zone may be cancelled if the situation demands, the official said.

Cyclone Dana Was Named By Qatar

As per the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Cyclone Dana’s name was suggested by Qatar. It means “generosity” in Arabic.

The WMO says that assigning names to tropical cyclones makes tracking and discussing specific storms more “straightforward, especially when multiple storms are active simultaneously.”

“Naming also helps to avoid confusion among meteorologists, media, emergency management agencies and the public. Additionally, naming tropical cyclones can aid historical record-keeping and research on storm behaviour and impacts,” the WMO says.