Cyclone Dana: Flight operations at Bhubaneswar, Kolkata airports resume

Flight operations at Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport, which were suspended as a precautionary measure due to Cyclone Dana, resumed at 8 am on Friday. This came after the cyclone made landfall along the Odisha coast, according to airport authorities.

Similarly, flight operations at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport also resumed at 8 am after being halted on Thursday due to the cyclone.

Cyclone Dana made landfall in the early hours between Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara district and Dhamra in Bhadrak, with wind speeds reaching around 110 kmph. As a precaution, Bhubaneswar’s airport had suspended operations from 5 pm on October 24 until 9 am on October 25, but services resumed an hour earlier than initially planned.

Turbulent seas, heavy winds, and rainfall affected the Dhamra and Bhadrak regions during landfall. Districts like Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore, and Jagatsinghpur faced strong winds and torrential rain.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is taking stock of the landfall situation of Cyclone ‘Dana’ in the presence of Minister of Revenue and Disaster Management, Suresh Pujari and Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja at Rajiv Bhavan in Bhubaneswar.

The Chief Minister said that around 5.84 lakh people have been evacuated till now to shelters.

Bus services at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bus Terminal’ (BSABT) at Baramunda in Bhubaneswar were affected.

Describing the administration’s efforts to evacuate fishermen and boats in view of cyclone Dana Bhadrak assistant fisheries officer, Sandeep Kumar Behera, said, “The cyclone (landfall) is underway; all boats were safely anchored. Post-cyclone, when it is assessed, we will get to know the damages, if any, and we will take action if needed. We will take action as per government protocols.”

Director of IMD, Manorama Mohanty, confirmed that the current intensity of the cyclone remains strong, with wind speeds between 100-110 kmph. The cyclone is expected to move northwestward across northern Odisha and gradually weaken.