Cyclone Dana which struck the eastern coast of Odisha triggered torrential rain and high-speed winds that uprooted trees and electric poles. It led to significant damage to infrastructure and crops in several districts.
While Dana weakened into a deep depression and moved westward, authorities have launched extensive relief and rehabilitation efforts in areas that were affected by the storm, according to a PTI report. As per the report, Odisha Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari announced damage assessment work will commence on Saturday and be completed within seven days, stating that all major road blockages caused by fallen trees have been cleared and communication restored.
Pujari said that those who lost their home will be “provided with pucca houses” and that approximately 6 lakh people have been evacuated to safety.
According to Odisha TV, Bhitarkanika, Rajnagar, Bagapatia, and Jambu in Kendrapara district, along with Dhamra, Chandbali, and Basudevpur in Bhadrak district, were most affected by the cyclonic storm at landfall.
Power supply was disrupted as electric poles were damaged in many places. According to PTI, Deputy Chief Minister K.V. Singh Deo, who is also in charge of the energy department, said about 95 per cent of the affected 33 KV feeders have already been restored, with the remaining expected to be operational soon. He emphasised that the restoration of the 11 KV network up to the Distribution Transformer level is progressing well.
Several fishing boats were damaged in the Soro area of the Balasore district due to the stormy winds and high tides that were kept in the sea. Many low-lying areas have been inundated. About 2,000 people from 500 families were stranded due to waterlogging in the Bagapatia area in Kendrapara district.
On Friday, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced the state had achieved its "Zero Casualty Mission," with no reports of fatalities or injuries. He said that the evacuation of about 6 lakh people was successful and highlighted the importance of proactive measures taken ahead of the cyclone’s formation.
Acres Of Crops Damaged
The cyclonic storm and the rain damaged standing crops on 1.75 lakh acres of land and submerged another 2.80 lakh acres in Odisha a senior official told PTI on Saturday, citing preliminary estimations.
According to the report, the state government has directed a joint assessment by the agriculture and revenue departments of crop loss due to the cyclone.
"As per preliminary reports, the crop area likely to be affected by #CycloneDana is about 1,75,000 acres (69,995 ha). Eye-estimated submerged crop area is about 2,80,000 acres (1,12,310 ha)," Principal Secretary of Agriculture and Farmer Empowerment Arabinda Padhi said in a post on X.
"We've directed field officials of @krushibibhag to assess and enumerate the crop loss (more than 33 per cent and above), jointly with Revenue Dept colleagues in a squad approach under supervision of District Collectors," he said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi during a review meeting on Friday night said the final estimate of the loss in the agriculture sector would be known from the detailed report, on the basis of which the government would decide on compensation for farmers.