BHUBANESWAR: A day after assuring West Bengal of all assistance to deal with the aftermath of cyclone Amphan, Odisha on Saturday dispatched a team of 500 personnel from Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and Fire Service to take part in rescue and relief operations in the neighbouring State.
Describing cyclone Amphan as one of the worst disasters to have hit West Bengal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the people of Odisha stand by West Bengal during this unprecedented crisis. “Odisha has sent a team of 500 members, including 300 fire personnel & 10 ODRAF teams to assist in relief & rescue operations,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, the State has received the `500 crore advance financial assistance that was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. This will help the State Government expedite its post-cyclone restoration and reconstruction works, Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Jena said. The State has also claimed to be successful in achieving ‘zero casualty’ during the cyclone, though more than 44.44 lakh people of 10 coastal districts were affected.
Odisha sends 500-strong team to WB
A preliminary report submitted to the Centre on Saturday maintained that crops in about one lakh hectares have been damaged. Official sources said crop damage assessment is going on and expected to be completed by May 26. Besides, 500 houses have been fully damaged and 15000 partially damaged. House damage assessment will also be completed by May 26.
As far as power infrastructure is concerned, 34 kilometers of 33 KV lines, 453 kilometers of 11 KV lines, 680 kilometers of LT lines and 2439 distribution transformers have been damaged. However, 85 percent of the disrupted power supply has been restored. Around 151.05 km roads and embankments and 42 bridges have been damaged.