Odisha welcomes 1,600 babies amid Cyclone Dana

Odisha welcomes 1,600 babies amid Cyclone Dana

Amid preparations for Cyclone Dana in Odisha, 1,600 women safely welcomed their newborns out of 4,431 expecting mothers relocated to maternity homes and healthcare facilities in the past two days.

According to media reports, Cyclone Dana has hit the Odisha coast, unleashing heavy rain and strong winds across various regions. The storm made landfall between Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara district and Dhamra in Bhadrak, with wind speeds around 110 kmph.

The Odisha government reported that a total of 5,84,888 individuals have been evacuated to safety in 6,008 shelters. In addition, 292 medical teams and 155 veterinary teams have been deployed for support, reports Hindustan Times.

“The chief minister was happy to mention that about 1600 women gave birth to their new born out of the 4431 expecting mothers at Maternity Homes (Maa Gruha) and healthcare facilities where they had been brought in last two-days as a preventive measure,” Information and Public Relations Department of Odisha said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

It also said that the state government was fully prepared to handle the impact of Cyclone Dana and mentioned that chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi had a telephonic discussion with the Prime Minister and the Union home minister, apprising them of the preparedness to tackle the arising emergency.

Coastal Odisha experienced heavy winds and rains as severe cyclonic storm Dana made landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra shortly after midnight on Thursday.

The landfall of Cyclone Dana commenced around 12:10 am between Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara district and Dhamra in Bhadrak district.

Officials said that the severe cyclonic storm was bringing gusts of wind up to 120 km/h and causing heavy rainfall. Under its impact, a 1-1.5 metre storm surge above the normal tide would be experienced at the coast in the Bhadrak and Kendrapara districts.

The Odisha government initially planned to evacuate one million people, but officials revised the figure after determining that Cyclone Dana would be much weaker than previously anticipated.