Centre to provide technical support to cyclone hit Odisha

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Thursday assured the Odisha government that the Centre will provide technical support for restoration of power, telecom and housing sectors to the state which was ravaged by the cyclone Fani last month, a senior official said here.

A team of the NDMA that visited the cyclone hit areas of the state lauded its efforts in tackling the cyclone saying Odisha's preparedness and response to the cyclone Fani from the state to the community level is "world class".

The cyclone that made landfall at a wind speed of about 200 kmph near Puri on May 3 battered 14 districts, killed 64 people and caused a total loss of Rs 9,336.26 crore, the state government said recently.

NDMA team leader Kamal Kishore said, "The state has properly utilized the cyclone shelters built under National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Programme to house the affected people. The state also engaged 200 Aapada Mitra volunteers in each district affected by the cyclone."