Cyclone Dana Impact: Mission 'Zero Casualty' Achieved, Restoration Underway, Says Odisha CM Majhi

Chief Minister Mohan Majhi said the government was able to achieve 'zero casualty' target, adding restoration of roads and power is underway in affected areas.

Bhubaneswar: After Cyclone Dana made landfall on Thursday midnight with heavy rainfall and a gusting wind speed of 110 kmph, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi conducted a review of the damage and relief efforts on Friday morning. "We have achieved the mission of zero casualty. Rescue and restoration works have been on since last midnight. We will be able to restore normalcy by evening," said the CM. The landfall process has been completed, informed the IMD bulletin.

Crediting the swift administrative response, NDRF, ODRAF, Fire personnel, health officials and the citizens for minimizing the storm’s impact, he said the district collectors have been directed to assess damages, with road clearance underway in areas affected by uprooted trees and power lines. The government expects all roads to be cleared by the end of the day, and electricity restored by evening. "Trees will be cleared by 1 pm today and power lines restored by 6 pm," the CM said.

He also informed that flight operations started on Friday morning. CM Majhi praised emergency workers, including administrative officers, doctors, and fire brigade teams, for their dedication. He also highlighted the efforts of an ASHA worker from Kendrapara’s Talchua village who transported an elderly woman to a relief centre. Over 1,600 newborns were delivered safely during the storm, with the mothers and the children reportedly in stable condition. A total of 4,421 pregnant women were shifted to hospitals in the areas affected by the cyclone.

"I must mention about an ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) who ensured that all the people in the area were evacuated. She did not move from the place till she convinced an old woman who was not interested to move to the shelter. Not only that, she carried her to the center and took care of her," he said.

The storm is expected to move towards Anandpur and Angul in the Keonjhar district, with heavy rain affecting Bhadrak, Balasore, and Mayurbhanj. Communication lines remain functional, and residents have started returning home. The Chief Minister also expressed appreciation for the media’s support in disseminating critical information.

"To our good luck and by Lord Jagannath's grace, the eye of the storm did not develop thus reducing its veracity. So the damage and destruction expected was lessened," he stated. "I was informed, the cyclone after hitting Habalikhati in Kendrapara recurved and took the route of Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Dhenkanal and Angul," he added.

As per the latest hourly bulletin on Cyclone Dana, the storm moved northwestwards with a speed of 10 km/h and weakened into a cyclonic storm over north coastal Odisha at 8.30 am on Friday, lying about 30 km northeast of Bhadrak and 50 km north-northeast of Dhamra. The maximum sustained wind speed around the centre of the cyclone is about 80-90 km/h gusting to 100 km/h, it stated. The landfall process has been completed, the bulletin confirmed.