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About 1 million people were evacuated from parts of India’s east coast on Thursday as Tropical Cyclone Dana approaches, and airports, shelters, and others were evacuated from parts of India’s east coast on Thursday as the storm brought flooding and landslide risks to some of the country’s poorest regions. Schools and train services were suspended.
The U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said early Thursday that Dana had the strength of a Category 1 hurricane, turning northwest across the Bay of Bengal and heading toward Orissa state with winds of about 125 mph. announced. It was expected to make landfall on the coast of Odisha in the evening.
Odisha’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari told reporters on Wednesday that one million Odisha residents have been relocated to more than 5,000 camps set up by the government. Neighboring West Bengal also evacuated residents, local media reported.
Dana caused widespread destruction in a region where an even more powerful cyclone killed almost 10,000 people in 1999. Most of the deaths from the storm, which brought Category 5 winds, occurred in Odisha, one of India’s poorest states. Many people in the state live in mud and stick huts in low-lying coastal areas.
However, the state, which has a population of approximately 42 million people, has since established a disaster management agency, built evacuation shelters, and prepared evacuation routes. Much of the preparation for Dana, including rapid evacuation, is based on India’s 1999 experience.
India on Thursday dispatched its navy and other rescue teams for disaster relief. Coastal areas of Odisha and West Bengal have also been warned of the possibility of cyclone and very heavy rain, with these areas expected to receive 2-4 inches of rain into Friday. More than 8 inches of rain could fall in some places, forecasters said.
It said flights including Kolkata Airport and Biju Patnaik International Airport have been canceled, with both airports suspended for at least 15 hours overnight. Indian Railways has canceled over 100 trains.
School classes and exams have been canceled in dozens of districts in Odisha and West Bengal since Wednesday. Marine activities, including fishing, are prohibited in the Bay of Bengal until the cyclone passes.
The India Meteorological Department said Wednesday that the storm could damage homes, roads, crops and power lines, and cause flooding and landslides.
