Cyclone Dana: West Bengal schools to remain shut for 4-day

The West Bengal government announced on Tuesday that schools and academic institutions will remain closed in various parts of the state following a notice from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) regarding Cyclone Dana, which is expected to make landfall on the coast of West Bengal by October 24.

According to a notice issued by the School Education Department of the West Bengal Government, academic activities in seven districts–including South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankura, Hooghly, Howrah, and Kolkata–will be suspended from October 23 to October 26, reports NDTV.

In preparation for Cyclone Dana, West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose stated that teams have been deployed at 85 stations across the state. He specified that 11 teams will be stationed in South Kolkata, eight in North Kolkata, 12 in South 24 Parganas, 24 in North 24 Parganas, six in Howrah, four in West Medinipur, and five in East Medinipur.

“A meeting was held regarding the cyclone, and officials were present. We will deploy teams in 85 stations. Along with this, there will be a monitoring system in the control room,” he said.

Additionally, the IMD reported that the depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal has moved west-northwestward in the last six hours, intensifying into a deep depression.

The IMD stated that the depression is likely to continue moving west-northwestward and intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 23 over the east-central Bay of Bengal.

It further noted that the storm is expected to move northwestward and may intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over the northwest Bay of Bengal by the morning of October 24, forming along the coast between Puri and Sagar Island during the night of October 24.