KENDRAPARA: People residing in coastal areas of the district started heading to safer areas on Wednesday as cyclone Dana moved towards the state’s coast.
The cyclone is likely to make a landfall between Bhitarkanika national park in Rajnagar block and Dhamra in Bhadrak on Thursday, said IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.
A sepulchral silence pervaded the air as almost all seaside villages wore a deserted look on the day. “Although the sea frightens us, the Super Cyclone of 1999 made us aware of the perils of such storm due to which we are cooperating with the district administration in evacuation operations,” said Pravat Ranjan Manna (45), a fisherman of Talachua village within Bhitarkanika national park.“The cyclone is set to hit our village Rangani near Bhitarkanika on Thursday as per the prediction of IMD. We have tied our two fishing boats in the jetty and moved to a cyclone shelter in the village,” said Golakh Mandal of Rangani.
District emergency officer Ashok Das said around 70,000 people residing in low-lying areas of Rajnagar and Mahakalapada will be evacuated to the shelters and schools.
Officials used loudspeakers to warn people of the dangers of the cyclone and said if needed, the administration will force people to vacate their houses before evening. All two-storey buildings owned by government and non-government organisations along schools and colleges were declared as cyclone shelters.
Amid concerns, hundreds of people left their seaside homes to safer ground. Villagers from Magarakandha, Satabhaya, Pentha, Rangani, Talachua, Suniti, Karandiapatana, Jamboo, Batighar, Badatubi and Sanatubi were seen moving to government shelters from low-lying areas on the day.