Over one lakh people left homes along the coastal stretches of East Midnapore since Thursday afternoon over apprehensions that waves in the choppy bay would reach up to 14ft when Cyclone Dana would make landfall.

The villagers left for either relief camps or the homes of relatives.

That sea waves would reach up to 14ft was estimated based on the forecasts by the Met office.

The villagers of the swathe covering Digha, Tajpur, Shankarpur, Chandpur and Mandarmani (all in Ramnagar 1 block) are fearing a repeat of Cyclone Yaas of May 2021. Although Yaas had made landfall in Odisha, East Midnapoire's coastal stretches were widely submerged by high waves.

Then, too, Ramnagar 1 was the worst affected. All villages in Talgachhari 1 gram panchayat, for instance, were flooded for over a month — directly affecting over 15,000 people. Yaas had destroyed embankments along the coast.

Chandpur resident Subal Dalui, 65, a labourer, said: “My house is by the sea. I have seen many kinds of waves since childhood.”

“But never in my life had I seen such terrible waves, before Yaas. We were able to reach safe shelters as Yaas had taken place during the day. This time, Dana is arriving at night,” he added.

“During the high tide, with the cyclone making landfall, we have been told the waves could once again rise to 14ft. We cannot take any risk. With my family, I am in a relief camp now.”

Jamra resident Raju Das, 45, a fisherman, said: “The ground floor of my house was submerged in seawater because of Yaas and my home is about a kilometre from the sea.”

“The memories of Yaas still haunt us. This time, without leaving anything to chance, we locked up on Wednesday night and took shelter in a relative’s home at Contai,” he added.

The coastal areas adjacent to Digha have been receiving light to moderate rainfall since Thursday morning. State irrigation minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia and fisheries minister Biplab Roy Chowdhury have been deputed by chief minister Mamata Banerjee to monitor the post-cyclone situation in the area.

East Midnapore district magistrate Purnendu Maji said: “About 2 lakh people from the coastal areas have been evacuated to safe shelters. About 550 relief camps have been set up."