Cyclone Dana impacted 35.95 lakh people in Odisha, no human casualty so far: Minister

Bhubaneswar: A total of 35.95 lakh people in Odisha have been impacted by cyclone Dana and subsequent flooding in 14 districts, the state’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said on Sunday.

Pujari also said as many as 8,10,896 people were evacuated to 6,210 cyclone relief centres.

The worst-hit districts include Kendrapara, Balasore and Bhadrak, while the human casualty “still stands at zero”, he told reporters here.

“By 10.30 am of Sunday, evacuated people were sheltered in 1,178 cyclone relief centres and they are being provided cooked food and other essential items,” the minister said.

Polythene sheets are being given to people who lost their houses in the calamity.

He said cyclone Dana, which struck early Friday, affected people in 1,671 gram panchayats under 108 blocks spread across 14 districts.

According to preliminary reports, around 5,840 houses have been fully or partially damaged due to the cyclone and subsequent flooding, Pujari said.

“Whenever there is a disaster, people lose their houses and get compensation. This time, we want to bring a permanent solution to the problem and provide pucca houses to them in a phased manner,” he said.

The Odisha government was also planning to undertake a survey of kutcha houses located in cyclone and flood-prone areas of the state.