Cyclone Dana: NDRF, ODRAF teams start removing uprooted trees in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The NDRF and ODRAF teams on Friday started restoration work by removing uprooted trees from the roads in the coastal districts of Odisha even as the landfall process of severe cyclonic storm Dana is still going on, an official said.

The IMD said at 8.23 am that the "Landfall process continues and the rear sector of the cyclone is entering into the land. The landfall process would continue for the next 1-2 hours. The system is likely to move nearly northwestwards across the north Odisha and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm by the forenoon of October 25." The system is under continuous surveillance of the Doppler radar at Paradip.

Odisha Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj, who is in charge of Bhadrak district, said there was no report of any casualty in the district.

"There is no report of any casualty. There has been massive damage to electrical installations due to tree falling. Roads are being cleared," the minister said The NDRF and ODRAF teams started work despite gusty winds and heavy rainfall in Dhamra area of Bhadrak district.

The Tehsildar of Rajnagar in Kendrapada district, Ajay Mohanty said that there has been no major damage in the Bhitarkanika area except uprooting of some trees and damage to some thatched houses.

"The wind speed has substantially come down to 80 to 90 kmph, but the rain continues to lash the area," Mohanty said, adding that seawater has entered into some water bodies and low-lying areas during the tidal surge on Thursday night.

Chandabali in Bhadrak received the highest rainfall of 131.6 mm during the last six hour followed by 42.8 mm in Balasore, an official said.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi was reviewing the cyclone situation at the office of the Special Relief Commissioner.

The coastal districts of Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore and nearby Jagatsinghpur district witnessed a sudden increase in wind speed which reached 100 kmph to 110 kmph and extremely heavy rain during the landfall process.

Meanwhile, authorities of the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar have decided to resume operations after improvement in weather conditions.

The airport had suspended flight operations from 5 pm on Thursday in view of the landfall process of the cyclone Dana.

The Indian Railways had also cancelled over two hundred trains in view of the cyclone.