Odisha Government: If needed, we are ready to evacuate about 10 lakh people from sensitive areas

Odisha Government: With severe cyclonic storm Dana expected to make landfall in Kendrapada district on Thursday night, the state government is preparing to evacuate up to 10 lakh people from regions that are at risk, if necessary.

The government has designated 3,000 susceptible areas for evacuation. If necessary, we are prepared to evacuate almost 10 lakh people from locations that are at risk.

Suresh Pujari, minister of revenue and disaster management, urged people to work with the government and not panic. Collectors in 14 districts have been requested by the special relief commissioner (SRC) to begin the evacuation procedure on Wednesday.

In order to accommodate the evacuees, up to 6,000 cyclone shelters with minimum facilities have been prepared. Puri, Kendrapada, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, and Mayurbhanj are the six most susceptible districts, and six senior IAS officials have been requested to oversee rescue and relief efforts in these areas.

To cope with the cyclone and severe rain, CM Mohan Majhi on Tuesday requested all MLAs to stay in their respective constituencies, speed up rescue and relief efforts, and work with the district administrations.

MLAs must provide the local population the assistance they need during this crisis, according to a post by C M Majhi on X. The next strong cyclonic storm Dana is predicted to pass between Puri and Sagar Island, with North Odisha likely to bear the brunt of its effects.

Between Thursday evening and Friday early, Dana is predicted to reach land with winds of 100 to 120 km/h, bringing with it very heavy rainfall in seven coastal areas.

IMD’s most recent advisory said that at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal had deepened and was centered around 690 km southwest of Paradip, 740 km south-southeast of Sagar Island, and 710 km south-southeast of Khepupara in Bangladesh.

All staff, including physicians, have had their leaves canceled by the state government. Up to 8,000 expectant mothers have been admitted to hospitals.