Mighty sea waves getting the better of the shore with alarming height, heavy downpour, strong wind with velocity picking up at every passing minute — all these portray the scene in the coastal villages of Odisha, mainly in Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts, as Cyclone Dana hurtles towards the coast.

As the weather goes from bad to worse, those unwilling to shift to the safety of shelter houses are not taking any chances, cooperating with the officials in the evacuation process.

Intermittent rain accompanied by gusty wind has taken complete control over the seaside villages since Thursday morning as cyclonic fury stares at the coastal pockets of Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore districts. Precaution has become the prime concern for people as cyclone wrought devastation scripted in these villages more than two decades back trail back to worry them.

Be it Sandhakuda fishing village near Paradip, Kharinasi hamlet in Kendrapara or Nolia Sahi fishing hamlet in Puri or Dhamra fishing hub in Bhadrak. The scene is invariably the same. Locals for whom formation of low pressure, depression, weather and storm has become a periodic feature are on the alert to face exigencies of the situation.

As worst fear is destined to come true with the weatherman forecasting the storm’s landfall in Bhitarkanika national park area in Kendrapara district and Dhamra coast in Bhadrak district, people living in the vulnerable coastal pockets are slowly getting prepared to face the Nature’s fury with government agencies’ helping hands.

”More than the wind velocity, we are deeply concerned about the tidal surge, which could potentially create havoc in the region. The worry, more than the wind speed of the cyclone, is the forecast of tidal surge of at least one to two metres. As the sea has become turbulent with mighty waves impounding the coast, we rushed back to the cyclone centre today morning, ” said Rabindra Maity, a local of Talchua village close to the Bhitarkanika national park.

”We have faced cyclonic fury in the past and successfully withstood it. From the local wisdom, it appears imminent that a cyclone would not spare us this time. We pray almighty for minimal damage in the area,” said Himanshu Rout, a resident of Dhamra, which stays at the epicentre of the storm strike.

”The storm surge could create havoc if we don’t shift people. There was initial reluctance by people. But the residents in vulnerable pockets realised the imminent danger, and voluntarily decided to be evacuated. The evacuation process is almost complete. The shelter houses are ready with all arrangements like food, drinking water, baby food and women police in camps,” said Nishant Mishra, Block Development Officer of Rajnagar block in Kendrapara district.

”We are experiencing torrential rain accompanied by gusty winds. The storm before its landfall has impacted us. Standing tall trees are uprooted in several places. We are scared of tidal ingress into village areas as sea waves are battering the shorelines. Advancing sea may trigger more damage than the storm,” said Arjun Mohanty, a resident of Okilopala village in Rajnagar of Kendrapara district.

“We are scared of the ingress of tidal waves. So it has become a better proposition to move to a safer place. Why should we wait for the government to act?” asked native of remote seaside Kansarabadadandua village of Kendrapara, Chandan Manna.