BHUBANESWAR:: At least 245 babies were born in different hospitals of Odisha's eight cyclone-hit southern districts on October 12, when cyclone Hudhud made a landfall.
The state government had asked the health department to admit women in advance stage of pregnancy in hospitals for safe delivery.
The babies were born at a time when the entire region was being pounded by heavy rainfall coupled with gusty wind with about 100 kmph.
The Health department had admitted 397 high risk pregnant women expecting delivery in these hospitals a day before the Hudhud hit the state. Besides, other pregnant women were also there in the hospitals.
"245 babies were born on October 12 in Gajapati, Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Ganjam and Kalahandi districts," said director of public health K C Das.
While highest number of 52 babies were born in Nabagarngpur on Sunday, it was followed by 44 in Koraput, 38 in Kandhamal, 35 in Ganjam, 29 in Gajapati district, 25 in Kalahandi, 15 in Malkangiri and 7 in Rayagada, said Das.
Out of the 397 pregnant women, 102 were from Koraput, Malkangiri (49), Nabarangpur (31), Rayagada (66), Kalahandi (25), Ganjam (22), Gajapati (37) and Kandhamal (58).
The health department had made uninterrupted power supply available at these hospitals with the help of generators to carry out surgery and for normal delivery, he said.
This is not for the first time that the children were born during calamity, similar incidents were also reported during the cyclone Phailin in 2013 and during the super cyclone in 1999.
A boy born in the worst super cyclone hit Jagatsinghpur in 1999, was named as 'Pralaya' (which means devastation) while a girl born during Phailin last year in Ganjam district had been named as 'Phailin.'
However, the government had so far no information whether any of the children born on October 12, has been named after the cyclone.