BHUBANESWAR: A total of 35.95 lakh people in 14 districts of the state have been affected by Cyclone Dana which hit the Odisha coast in the early hours of October 25. About 8,317 villages in 107 blocks and 426 wards of 31 urban local bodies have been impacted by the cyclonic storm with Kendrapara, Balasore and Bhadrak being the worst hit districts, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on Sunday.
Majhi made an aerial survey of Paradip, Mahakalpada, Rajnagar, Rajkanika and Chandbali areas during the day along with Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari and chief secretary Manoj Ahuja. After the survey, the chief minister asked different departments and district collectors to submit damage assessment reports by November 2 so that the affected people can be given assistance at the earliest.
The chief minister reviewed the post-cyclone restoration measures and said that power supply to about 98 per cent households have been restored. Out of the 22.84 lakh households who suffered power disconnection, supply has been restored to around 2.30 lakh households. The rest 50,000 houses will be completed by Monday.
According to preliminary estimates, the chief minister said, crops were damaged in 2,71,800 acres land in 4,100 villages of 12 blocks in five districts of Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj. Physical verification of crop loss will be made after water recedes from the areas and farmers will be provided compensation basing on the damage reports, he said.
Stating that over 8.1 lakh people were evacuated to 6,210 cyclone relief shelters, the chief minister said a majority of people have left for their homes. He, however, said 470 cyclone shelters were still operational and about 30,000 people were being provided cooked food and other facilities in these centres.
Majhi thanked PM Narendra Modi and Home minister Amit Shah for the support of the Centre due to which the cyclone was tackled successfully. He said that the Centre had sent NDRF teams who played a key role in saving lives during the cyclone.
The chief minister also thanked the Fire Services and other state government agencies for their exemplary work during the cyclone. He said that fire personnel received 6,000 calls from houses on which uprooted trees had fallen. The teams reached all the places and took immediate action. He also thanked ministers, collectors, government employees and others engaged in rescue and relief operations.
Earlier, Pujari said 5,439 houses have been fully or partially damaged in the cyclone and polythene sheets were being given to people who lost their houses.
Pujari announced that the state government has started the process to provide pucca houses to people who have lost their houses in the cyclone. “Whenever there is a disaster, people lose their houses and get compensation. But these houses again get damaged in the next cyclone or flood. The state government has now decided to bring a permanent solution to the problem in coordination with the Centre, and provide pucca houses to them in a phased manner,” he said.
Pujari said the state government is also planning to undertake a survey of kutcha houses located in cyclone and flood-prone areas of the state so that such people can be provided pucca houses.
Referring to the flood in Budhabalanga river which has mostly affected Balasore district, the minister said, the river was now flowing below the danger level. He said the situation is likely to improve further as rains have stopped. Floodwater has also started receding in Remuna, Sadar and Soro blocks of Balasore district, he said.