Rain brings new misery for Odisha cyclone survivors

Has hampered rehabilitation work in places worst-affected by Cyclone Phailin and subsequent flooding, says Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Surya Narayan Patro

Torrential rain continued to lash many parts of Odisha Thursday for the fourth consecutive day, bringing misery for the survivors of Cyclone Phailin in the state, a minister here said.

The rain also disrupted road and railway services, and resulted in waterlogging in many villages and towns.

It also hampered rehabilitation work in places worst-affected by the cyclone and subsequent flooding, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Surya Narayan Patro told IANS.

At least 5,000 people, who were evacuated ahead of the cyclone, returned to relief camps in worst-hit Ganjam district as rivers here swelled and water entered homes, he said.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Odisha Disaster Response Force personnel have been sent to the affected areas for relief and rescue operation, he said.

The Bansadhara river and its tributaries have crossed danger levels in the region and the water levels are likely to rise further as heavy rain was expected for the next two-three days,the minister said.

"Most places of the state have been witnessing rain during last four days. Some places have witnessed heavy rain of more than seven cms," an official of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre told IANS. He forecast that the situation is expected to remain the same in the next few days.

The severe tropical cyclone Phailin in the Bay of Bengal, which made landfall Oct 12 night near Gopalpur in the state's Ganjam district, has left behind a trail of destruction in several districts of the state, bringing heavy rain and causing floods.

Although only 44 deaths due to the cyclone and flooding have been recorded, about 1.2 crore people in 17 of the state's 30 districts have been affected by the calamity, the state government said.

According to preliminary government estimates, the damage due to cyclone and subsequent floods is pegged at about Rs.4,242 crore.

The latest rain and flooding is likely to delay the restoration and rehabilitation work the government was carrying out in disaster-hit areas, Patro said.