10,644 villages, 7.5 mn people affected due to Cyclone Yaas in Odisha

As many as 10,644 villages across 11 districts of Odisha have been affected due to the Cyclone 'Yaas' while the standing crops on about 6348.4 hectares of land suffered damage

As many as 10,644 villages across 11 districts of Odisha, more than 75 lakh people and 12.77 lakh livestock have been affected due to the Cyclone 'Yaas' while the standing crops on about 6348.4 hectares of land suffered damage, according to a government official.

The inter-ministerial team from the central government, which arrived in Odisha to assess the damage caused by the cyclone 'Yaas', held a meeting with senior state government officials, including Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, after the completion of the filling assessment, on Tuesday in Bhubaneswar.

As per the statement from the Odisha government, apprising the team about the damage, Development Commissioner and Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep K Jena said, "According to preliminary assessment 10,644 villages in 2,138-gram panchayats in 11 districts of Odisha have been faced damage, besides 425 wards in 30 urban areas were also affected by the Cyclonic storm Yaas."

"More than 75 lakh people have been affected due to the Cyclone, 26,781 houses were damaged while 12.77 lakh livestock were affected. About 7.10 lakh people from coastal villages and sensitive areas were evacuated to safer shelters. In addition, the standing crop on about 6348.4 hectares of land have damaged in Cyclone," Jena further informed the Central team.

Chief Secretary Mohapatra stated that the cost of the post-Cyclone rehabilitation and restoration work will be borne by the state government from the State Disaster Management Fund.

"But since as Odisha is a flood and Cyclone-prone state, it needs a sustainable and disaster-resilient infrastructure," he asserted.

In the meeting, Mahapatra emphasised on disaster-resilient power supply systems and protection from high tides and said that the state government is preparing a detailed project plan in this regard, which will be submitted to the Central government soon.

Sunil Kumar Barnowal, Joint Secretary, Home Department, who is leading the central team said that the coastal districts of Odisha are in dire need of disaster-resilient roads, electricity and infrastructure.

"Due to the state's disaster management system, the loss of personal property and the plight of the people have been reduced. However, public property is still predominantly damaged. Public property damage can be reduced by wind-resistant infrastructure," he said.

A seven-member team of senior officials from the Union Ministry of Home, Agriculture, Finance, Roads and Transport, Rural Development, Energy and Fisheries arrived in Odisha and visited the Cyclone affected districts including Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur.

Cyclone Yaas had made landfall in Odisha on May 26.