Cyclone Dana
Cyclone Dana made landfall on India’s east coast on Friday, causing extensive damage as it tore off roofs from homes, uprooted trees, and flattened power lines. Fortunately, the cyclone did not seem to have resulted in significant casualties.
Prior to the storm’s arrival, authorities took proactive measures by relocating at least 1.1 million people in the states of Odisha and West Bengal to storm shelters, ensuring their safety as the cyclone approached.
District official Siddarth Swain reported to AFP that the cyclone left a “trail of destruction” in the coastal town of Puri.
He noted that many trees and electric poles had been uprooted, while makeshift shops along the expansive beach were blown away. Despite the extensive damage to infrastructure, no casualties have been reported thus far.
As Cyclone Dana approached, it triggered a surge in sea levels, flooding parts of the coastline with water levels rising up to 1.15 meters (3.75 feet).
At the time of landfall, the storm was packing winds gusting up to 120 kilometers per hour, as noted by Somenath Dutta, a forecaster with the Kolkata-based weather bureau.
The cyclone impacted the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, which faced “gale force winds” that uprooted hundreds of trees.
West Bengal minister Bankim Chandra Hazra reported that the cyclone also damaged many homes in coastal areas, with roofs being blown off by the strong winds.
In response to the impending storm, major airports, including those in Kolkata—India’s third-largest city and an essential travel hub—were closed on Thursday night as heavy rains lashed the region. However, by Friday morning, flights had resumed from Kolkata as well as the Odisha state capital, Bhubaneshwar.
Scientists have been sounding the alarm about the increasing intensity of storms, attributing this trend to climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels.
Warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapor, which serves as additional energy for storms, thereby strengthening their winds. Furthermore, a warming atmosphere enables storms to carry more water, resulting in increased heavy rainfall.
While recent storm events have highlighted the potential for destruction, advancements in forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have significantly reduced the death toll associated with such natural disasters.
In May, Cyclone Remal resulted in the deaths of at least 48 individuals in India and 17 in Bangladesh, according to government reports.
Meanwhile, Cyclone Amphan, classified as a “super cyclone” that struck in 2020, killed over 100 people across Bangladesh and India, affecting millions in the process.
Historical context reveals the catastrophic nature of cyclones in the region; the worst recorded cyclone in 1970 claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, underscoring the critical need for ongoing vigilance and preparedness in the face of increasingly powerful storms.
