Bhubaneswar, Oct 23:  Amid the looming threat of impending severe cyclonic storm 'Dana' in Odisha coast, senior BJP leader and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday appealed his party workers to provide all possible help to the people in the possible cyclone-hit areas.

In a post on X, Pradhan, who is on a three-day visit to Australia, said: “The Weather Department has predicted that Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Puri, Kendrapara, Ganjam, Keonjhar, Balasore, Jajpur, Khordha and Cuttack districts will be particularly affected by the impeding Cyclone 'Dana'…. I request the workers of our party (BJP) to help the people in the possible cyclone-hit areas.”

The Union Minister also prayed to Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath for the safety of people.

Pradhan also said that the Odisha government is fully prepared to tackle any situation arising out of Cyclone Dana. He also called upon the people to cooperate with the State government and local administration in handling the cyclone's impact.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had claimed that the State government aims to ensure Zero casualties in the cyclone.

The Chief Minister instructed all MLAs to visit their respective assembly segments and assist with rescue and relief efforts. He also assigned Nine Ministers to districts expected to be heavily impacted by Cyclone 'Dana'.

Notably, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that the impending cyclonic storm Dana is expected to hit the Odisha coast between Bhitarkanika of Kendrapara district and Dhamara area of Bhadrak district on October 24 and 25.

IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that coastal areas of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore districts are likely to witness high tidal waves surging up to 1 to 2 meters in height due to the effect of the cyclone Dana.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has taken several precautionary measures, including evacuation of the residents living in around 3,000 identified vulnerable places in affected districts, deployment of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Fire Services personnel in these districts.

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