Even as severe cyclone Dana grazed past Bengal, tearing through Odisha coastline, its ‘tail’ and ‘wings’ packed heavy rains with gusty wind lashed southern parts of the State late on Thursday night and the entire Friday, affecting more than more than a million people, sources in the administration said

If there was no casualty till Friday evening it was because of the State Government evacuating 3.5 lakh people from coastal areas shifting them to safer places, closing down educational institutions and evacuating tourists from beach towns of Digha, Mandarmani, Bakkhali, Mausuni Islands, Namkhana and Udaipur, in East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas police said.

The cyclone made a landfall in Odisha at about 3.30 am since when it has been raining heavily throughout the nine districts of Bengal, sources said.

“We saw roaring winds catching and swinging the trees by their heads (read top branches), “ a homemaker at Gosaba village by the Sunderbans said adding how the whole night a herd of deers swam across the Zilli river to take shelter inside the village before swimming back during the day.

Mandarmani, Digha, Kakdwip, Canning, Baruipur, Howrah and Kolkata witnessed massive waterlogging. Intermittent power cuts with the exception of Kolkata added to the people’s woes, sources said.

There was extensive damage in East Midnapore and parts of South 24 Parganas where scores of trees were uprooted, officials said adding sea water had gushed inside the Sagar Islands where the famous Kapil Muni Ashram is situated. “We have reports that water has entered the temple… It Is expected to recede in a few hours,” an official said.

State minister Sujit Basu said that 13 battalions of SDRF and 14 battalions of NDRF had been deployed in coastal areas. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with senior officials has been monitoring the situation entire night said Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim. Notwithstanding, large parts of Kolkata reeled under waterlogging with reports of protests coming from several areas as people complained inaction on the part of government.

“Much of the waterlogging is because the cyclone coincided with high tide as a result the lock gates of the major canals could not be opened … However the water started flowing out after the high tide,” officials said.

As part of precautionary measures the State had closed down government schools till Friday. While about 170 express trains were cancelled by Southeastern Railways 68 suburban trains too were not run by the Eastern Railways.

The Port and Airport authorities too suspended operation on Thursday. Ship and ferry services had not been resumed till Friday evening, sources said.

 The fishermen too had been asked not to venture out in deep seas and the order was to remain till Saturday, sources said.