Low pressure intensifies into depression

Bhubaneswar: A well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression on Tuesday as it rolled towards the eastern coast with the likelihood of turning into a severe cyclonic storm, the IMD said. India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said Odisha will bear the brunt of the impending cyclone.

The IMD, in its latest bulletin, said the well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal concentrated into a depression and lay centred at 700 km away from Paradip in Odisha and 750 km from Sagar Island in West Bengal around 8.30 am.

The depression will further intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 23 and cross north Odisha and southern West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island in the early morning hours of October 25 as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph, it said.

The State government sought 10 more additional teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). “The existing NDRF teams are already on the move to the possible affected districts,” Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said.

This apart, 17 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams will be deployed in 10 districts which are likely to be affected by cyclone Dana, Additional Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Padmanav Behera said.

IMD DG Mrutunjay Mohapatra told a local news channel that the entire eastern coast from Puri to West Bengal coast is likely to be impacted in the impending cyclone. North Odisha districts are also likely to be more affected than other areas, IMD DG said. Mohapatra said the exact place of landfall of the cyclone would be known later.

The Odisha government has cancelled the leaves of all staff from October 23 to 25 in view of the cyclone forecast.