BARIPADA: As many as 11,000 people residing in low-lying areas and thatched houses have been shifted to safer places by the district administration. Deputy Collector and district emergency officer Sujay Kumar Pati said the evacuees have been accommodated at over 427 sanitised buildings in 26 blocks of the district that has 10 flood shelters.
The rest have been set up at schools and colleges. Adequate dry food and drinking water have been stocked at these facilities.
This apart, seven teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and one of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) have been mobilised to vulnerable locations in the district. Fire personnel have also been deployed in every block, sub-division and the district headquarters town.
Pati said NDRF teams have been deployed at Karanjia, Udala, Badasahi, Betnoti, Baripada and Bangiriposi. The district administration has also posted forest personnel of Karanjia, Rairangpur, Baripada and Similipal Tiger Reserve south and north divisions in areas likely to be affected by the storm.
Chief district medical officer Dr Rupavanoo Mishra said 282 pregnant women and children have been evacuated to the nearest primary and community health centres. Collector Vineet Bhardwaj appealed to people to wear masks and maintain social distancing at shelter houses.
Meanwhile, Special Secretary of Agriculture department Suresh Kumar Vashishth reviewed the district administration’s preparedness for the cyclone on Tuesday.