Cyclone Dana Strikes India, Uprooting Trees and Damaging Power Lines
Cyclone Dana uprooted trees and damaged power lines on Friday after making landfall along India’s eastern coast, prompting authorities to issue warnings about severe weather conditions.
So far, no casualties have been reported.
In anticipation of the storm, at least 1.1 million residents in the states of Odisha and West Bengal sought refuge in storm shelters before the cyclone’s eye reached the coastline shortly after midnight.
The cyclone left a “trail of destruction” in the coastal city of Puri. District official Siddarth Swain stated, “Many trees and electric poles were uprooted,” adding that “makeshift shops along the vast beach were swept away by the winds.” According to Swain, Dana also caused flooding in several coastal areas after triggering a sea-level rise that may have reached 1.15 meters.
Upon landfall, the storm produced wind gusts of up to 120 km/h, as reported by Somenath Dutta, a meteorologist at the Kolkata weather office.
The Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, experienced strong gusts that uprooted hundreds of trees, according to Bankim Chandra Hazra, the West Bengal minister, who spoke to the press.
“The cyclone also damaged hundreds of homes, tearing roofs off in coastal areas,” he added.
Major airports in Kolkata, India’s third-largest city and a popular tourist destination, have been closed since Thursday evening due to heavy rainfall.
In May, Cyclone Remal claimed at least 48 lives in India, according to government figures.
