Cyclone Dana Live Updates: Kolkata’s Netaji Shubhash Chandra International Airport and Odisha’s Biju International Airport have resumed flight operations after slight improvement in weather conditions.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its latest release has forecast flash floods in 16 districts of Odisha due to heavy rains. Districts expected to experience flash floods include Angul, Balasore, Boudh, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh and Puri.

Meanwhile, in Kolkata, several areas remain flooded due to heavy rains. Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said all pumping stations have been alerted to prevent further water loading and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has installed vacuum machines to clean pits and visiting dormitories.

In Odisha last night, government authorities and rescue forces began evacuating people from areas likely to be affected by the cyclone. To cope with the relocation of nearly 10 lakh people, multipurpose cyclone shelters, flood shelters and other buildings have been identified and prepared for temporary relief camps.

Arrangements have also been made to provide food, drinking water, lighting, sanitation and sanitary facilities to the people to be evacuated to such shelters, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said.

Most vulnerable districts of West Bengal, Odisha to Cyclone Dana

According to IMD forecasts, fourteen districts of Odisha are likely to bear the brunt of Cyclone Dana: Angul, Puri, Nayagarh, Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Ganjam and Mayurbhanj. In West Bengal, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur along with coastal areas and adjoining districts like Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Jhargram and Hooghly will witness the worst impact of the impending cyclone.

Stay tuned for updates on Cyclone Dana’s path here