DEOGARH: Unseasonal rain accompanied by severe hailstorm battered Deogarh on Saturday evening, causing extensive damage in the district.
The worst-hit was Gundiapali panchayat under Reamal block where the hailstorm damaged many houses leaving dozens of families homeless. The affected families were forced to seek shelter in the village school.
The hailstorm shattered asbestos and tiles of houses in over 12 villages including Gundiapali, Paiknagar, Budhikutuni, Chachhupali, Dhauragot, Billeighati, and Bardataila. With the roofs damaged, rainwater seeped into homes, damaging stored paddy and other valuables.
People whose houses were destroyed were accommodated in local schools at Paiknagar, Gundiapali and Chachhupali. The district administration provided them with biscuits, water and other basic amenities.
Besides, watermelon and onion crops on large tracts of farmlands were destroyed due to the hailstorm. The storm also uprooted several trees in different parts of the district.
On Sunday, Deogarh MLA Romancha Ranjan Biswal, Zilla Parishad chairperson Kaushik Pradhan and Reamal block chairperson Madhusudan Pradhan visited the affected areas. Deogarh collector Kabindra Kumar Sahu and deputy collector Parikshit Sahu also took stock of the damage in affected areas.
Reamal tehsildar visited the villages and interacted with the displaced families. Five teams from Reamal tehsil office have been formed to conduct a detailed survey by visiting each affected village.
“We have provided tarpaulins to people whose houses were damaged. With an improvement in the situation, people are returning to their homes. We will complete the damage assessment by Monday evening and subsequently initiate the process for disbursing compensation,” said the collector.
Farmers who have suffered crop damage due to the storm can apply for compensation online. They will receive necessary support at the earliest, he added.
