Bhubaneshwar, October 22: As cyclone Dana is impending and likely to hit Odisha by October 24, the fire service department is fully prepared to tackle the situation, said Dr. Sudhanshu Sarangi, Director General, Fire Service & Civil Defence.
Dr. Sarangi has said that the preparations are in place to tackle the situations arising out of Cyclone 'Dana.'
IMD stated that Cyclone Dana would cross the north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island during the night of October 24 and early morning of October 25.
Similarly, the Cuttack and Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner, Dev Datta Singh has also directed all field staff of police stations in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to stay alert and equipped with all necessary items as per the checklist. He directed all police stations for prompt and effective service to the public during critical hours.
He asked all field staff to be prepared to assist with emergency response, maintain public safety, and coordinate with relevant agencies to minimize the impact of the cyclone.
Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has assured that the state government is fully prepared to tackle any situation arising out of Cyclone Dana.
"Zero casualties will be ensured. There is no need to panic. The government is fully prepared to tackle the situation," Majhi said after a review meeting on the state's cyclone preparedness
"One hundred percent evacuation will be done after identifying vulnerable areas. NDRF, ODRAF & Fire Services teams are kept ready. The government is closely monitoring the situation," said CM Majhi.
The Chief Minister said that cyclone shelters will be equipped with all necessities and essential commodities.
"Discussion was also held for early restoration of power and water supply and telephone and road communication. Uninterrupted electricity will be ensured to hospitals. The concerned department has already kept a close watch to prevent hoarding or overcharging of essential commodities," the Chief Minister said.
Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said on Monday that multiple departments in the state have been instructed to be on high alert as the IMD has predicted heavy rainfall in the state due to cyclone Dana.
"The Odisha government is in total preparedness in both the energy and agriculture departments, apart from that the revenue department is also totally prepared. We have taken our reviews; the department has issued necessary instructions to the concerned officers and others. Their leaves have been canceled and they've all been told to be on high alert," said the Deputy Chief Minister.
He further said that Kendrapara, Balasore, and Bhadrak will be mainly affected by the cyclone.
"The basic issue is that now even the Meteorological Department is not able to predict and project which way the cyclone is going to go. They are estimating that it may move towards North Odisha. Three districts may mainly be affected, Kendrapara, Balasore, and Bhadrak. The rest of the coastal districts like Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Ganjam, and others may receive heavy rainfall," he said.
Mentioning that advisories have been given to various officers to prepare for evacuation, the deputy CM added, "Basic advisories have been given to all the agricultural officers and the district collectors and everybody to be prepared to ensure that whatever rainwater comes is quickly evacuated," he added.
