KENDRAPARA: Around 40 thatched houses were damaged and several trees uprooted after a tornado hit the seaside villages of Rajnagar block on Monday afternoon.Sarpanch of Rangani gram panchayat Rasmirekha Dalei said around 12 thatched houses were damaged and eight people injured in the village. “None of the affected had life threatening injuries,” he said. In Khamarasahi village, four children were injured after being hit by roof tiles and metal sheets.
The storm hit the villages at around 4 pm and lasted ten minutes. At least 10 thatched houses were razed to the ground while 20 others partially damaged, said sarpanch of Baghamari gram panchayat Mukti Kumar Patra. The fury of nature left several families homeless as the roofs of their houses were blown away.
Three fishermen were injured at Talachua jetty as fishing boats were tossed in the air. The authorities are yet to assess the losses. However, no loss of human life and livestock has yet been reported. Power supply and road transport were badly hit in the affected areas as several trees and electric poles were uprooted in the storm.
The authorities will soon clear the roads by removing trees. Schools and cyclone shelters in the affected areas have been occupied by the affected people. “We have started distributing food among the affected persons. Polythene sheets too will be arranged for them. After proper assessment, the administration will provide financial assistance to the affected families to help them rebuild their houses,” said tehsildar of Rajnagar Bholanath Sethi.