Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is likely to conduct an aerial survey of the areas affected by Cyclone Dana if weather conditions permit. He will be accompanied by Odisha’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari and other senior officials to assess the damage and coordinate recovery efforts.
Pujari has instructed district collectors to submit damage reports within seven days on Cyclone Dana’s impact. Bhadrak is reportedly the hardest-hit district, while damages have also been recorded in Kendrapara, Balasore, Jajpur, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, and Keonjhar districts. "The Revenue Department will assess house damage, while agricultural, cooperative, and statistical departments will evaluate other impacts, including crop and infrastructure damage," Pujari said.
The Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment, Government of Odisha has cancelled official holidays October 26 and 27 of its employees for assessment of damage to standing crops in the cyclone. The notification issued on OCtober 25, also directed the employees not to leave official headquarters during these days and remain alert for duty.
Minister Pujari announced that immediate repairs will begin on partially damaged homes, while new houses provided to families who lost their homes entirely. Temporary shelters will remain open, offering meals and support to displaced residents.
On the ground, response teams, including Odisha Police, Forest and Fire Departments, ODRAF, NDRF, and voluntary organisations, worked swiftly, clearing most roads within hours of the landfall. Telecom services remain stable, and the Energy Department has been successful in restoring power to affected areas.
With lakhs of people temporarily relocated due to cyclone threats, relief centers provided cooked meals to those displaced. While many residents have returned to their homes, the centers continue to offer shelter and meals to those in need. The Minister thanked social workers, ASHAs, Anganwadi didis, and elected representatives across the cyclone-hit districts for their dedicated works in minimizing the impact of the cyclone Dana.
The Health and Family Welfare Department, on Thursday, had put out a notification, stating, "Sanitary napkins under the #KHUSI scheme are available in the block level KHUSI storage points and can be utilized at cyclone shelter homes whenever necessary in view of Cyclone Dana."
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the name "Dana," meaning "generosity" in Arabic, was suggested by Qatar. The Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre for Tropical Cyclones over North Indian Ocean (RSMC) of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in New Delhi is the authority which looks after the naming process of cyclones in the North Indian Ocean. There are 13 member countries involved in the naming process which has criterion like ease of pronunciation, political and cultural neutrality and the name should not be more than eight letters count.
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