The West Bengal government has announced the closure of schools in several districts, including South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankura, Hooghly, Howrah, and Kolkata, from October 23 to 26 due to Cyclone Dana.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts heavy rainfall for West Bengal and Odisha as the storm approaches. A low-pressure system developed over the east-central Bay of Bengal on October 21 and is expected to strengthen into a cyclonic storm by October 23. The IMD stated that the depression will intensify and make landfall between Puri and Sagar Island on October 25 as a severe storm, with wind speeds of 100-110 km/h and gusts reaching up to 120 km/h.
In anticipation of Cyclone Dana, the Odisha government has also declared a three-day school closure in 14 districts, including Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, and Cuttack. Deoranjan Kumar Singh, the Special Relief Commissioner, confirmed the closures in a letter to district collectors.
To enhance disaster preparedness, the Odisha government has requested additional teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for the affected districts. A total of 17 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams will be deployed across 10 districts expected to be most impacted by the cyclone. Two teams will be sent to Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Khurda, Bhadrak, Balasore, and Mayurbhanj, while one team will be stationed in Cuttack, Ganjam, and Jajpur districts.
(With inputs from agencies)