Floods leave 75,000 stranded; death toll touches 26

In the aftermath of cyclonic storm Phailin, floods have left 75,000 people stranded in Odisha’s Balasore and Jajpur districts. While 68,000 are stranded in Balasore, the district hit hardest by floods, 7,000 others are awaiting rescue and relief in Jajpur.

The death toll due to the cyclone and the ensuing floods has risen to 26. Of these, five lost their lives due to the floods–two in Angul district and one each in Bhadrak, Kandhamal and Mayurbhanj districts.

“The flood situation is grave in Balasore, but improvement has been seen in Keonjhar, Jajpur and Bhadrak. While we evacuated 9,83,553 people before the cyclone made landfall, 1,12,241 people, including 68,000 affected people in Balasore, have been evacuated after the floods,” said Special Relief Commissioner Pradipta K Mohapatra. He added air dropping of relief material had been stopped, as road communication, by and large, had been restored in affected areas.

After the cyclone hit the state, heavy rains had led to water levels rising in the Baitarani, Budhabalanga and Subarnarekha rivers. However, the levels have receded somewhat in Budhabalanga and Baitarani.

Owing to heavy discharge of water from Jharkhand and the slow release of water to the sea due to ensuing full moon, the flood situation in Balasore district is expected to remain grim for the next three-four days. Four blocks in the district–Remuna, Balasore Sadar, Bhograi and Jaleswar–continue to be flooded. In Bhadrak district, three blocks have been flooded–Dhamnagar, Bhandaripokhari and Tihidi.

The cyclone and the ensuing floods have affected about 12 million people in 16,487 villages across 148 blocks. So far, 3,33,070 houses have been damaged.