Cyclone Named By Qatar Will Hit Odisha, Bengal. What "Dana" Means In Arabic

Odisha and West Bengal are bracing for the impact of Cyclone Dana, which is expected to make landfall between Puri and Sagar Island on the intervening night of October 24 and October 25. 'Dana' is likely to cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting 120 kmph.

Cyclone Dana has also forced the Odisha government to shut schools and ask fishermen to avoid venturing into the sea on October 24. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Odisha will witness heavy rainfall between October 23 and October 25.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi chaired a high-level meeting to take stock of the preparedness.

"We are absolutely ready to face the cyclone. All the disaster response teams have been put on readiness. Our focus is to ensure zero casualty," Mr Majhi said.

"Emphasis has been given on 100% evacuation after identification of vulnerable zones which are likely to be impacted by the cyclone. All essential commodities will be kept ready in the cyclone shelters," he added.

The Odisha government has cancelled leave for its employees and placed all coastal districts on high alert.

The Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and fire service personnel have been put on standby, with particular attention to the districts of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Balasore, Bhadrak, Ganjam and Khorda.

For West Bengal, the Met Office has predicted heavy rain in the coastal districts of Purba and Paschim Medinipur and North and South 24 Parganas on October 23.

How Cyclone Dana Was Named

As per the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Dana's name was suggested by Qatar.

It means "generosity" in Arabic.

The WMO says that assigning names to tropical cyclones makes tracking and discussing specific storms more "straightforward, especially when multiple storms are active simultaneously."

"Naming also helps to avoid confusion among meteorologists, media, emergency management agencies and the public. Additionally, naming tropical cyclones can aid historical record-keeping and research on storm behaviour and impacts," the WMO says.

How Cyclones Are Named

The process of determining names for tropical cyclones is conducted by the relevant tropical cyclone regional body at its annual or biennial meetings.

There are five tropical cyclone regional bodies - ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee, WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones, RA I Tropical Cyclone Committee, RA IV Hurricane Committee, and RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee.

These bodies establish pre-designated lists of names which are proposed by WMO Members' National Meteorological and Hydrological Services.

The selection of names is also based on their familiarity with the people in each region.

When a new name is selected, some of the following factors are considered: Short in character length for ease of use in communication; easy to pronounce; appropriate significance in different languages; and uniqueness - same names cannot be used in other regions.