Cyclone Dana tracker: More than a million people set to evacuate eastern India as storm nears

Residents move to safety before fierce weather makes landfall in Odisha state

Dark clouds loom off the coast of Digha, West Bengal, on Thursday as Cyclone Dana approaches. AFP

More than a million residents are evacuating parts of eastern India with the help of authorities, as Cyclone Dana barrels towards the state of Odisha bearing 110kph winds.

At least 300,000 people had already left their homes by Thursday, with the storm forecast to make landfall late on Thursday night or Friday morning.

Dana, meaning pearl in Arabic, was strengthening over the Bay of Bengal and is expected to become a "severe cyclonic storm" as it makes landfall. The India Meteorological Department said it was likely to come ashore between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port, with potential gusts of 110kmph.

“It is very likely to move north-north-westwards and cross the north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island,” the department posted on social media site X.

The weather agency warned of a storm surge up to two metres that could inundate low-lying areas. Mohan Charan Majhi, Chief Minister of Odisha, said: “Three districts are likely to be severely affected. Steps are being taken to evacuate people from danger zones. The remaining will be taken to safety by 11am on Thursday."

Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district is a mangrove wetland home to endangered saltwater crocodiles and olive ridley turtles. About 140,000 indigenous people also live in the park. Manas Kumar Das, assistant conservator of forests in Odisha, said his staff were relocating residents out of harm's way and rounding up vulnerable animals to take them to safety.

“There are several challenges; evacuating local people, cleaning the roads and rescuing animals,” Mr Das said.

In the neighbouring state of West Bengal, authorities have moved more than 100,000 people into evacuation shelters. Heavy rain and strong winds are already affecting more than half a dozen districts.

"We are now in a moment of crisis,” said state governor CV Ananda Bose. "Cyclone Dana is nearing but we in Bengal have braved many storms and will face it with confidence and fortitude."

Teams from India's National Disaster Response Force are on hand in each state, while rescue crews from the army, navy and coastguard are on high alert. Indian Railways has cancelled nearly 200 trains, while aviation authorities suspended flights at Biju Patnaik Airport in Bhubaneswar, Odisha’s capital on Thursday, as well as at the main airport in Kolkata.

India’s coastline on the Bay of Bengal – the largest bay in the world – is a hotbed of tropical cyclones and is prone to extreme climatic events. Eight of the 10 deadliest cyclones on record have originated over the bay, according to Weather Underground. In the past two decades, Odisha, which is home to 47 million people, has been hit by 10 cyclones, including super cyclones that have killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. In 1999, the region was devastated by the Great Odisha Cyclone, in which 10,000 people lost their lives.

However, advancements in weather forecasting and cyclone warning systems have in recent years enabled authorities to minimise damage from storms through mass evacuation.