Bhubaneswar/Gopalpur/Srikakulam: Hours after Cyclone Phailin hit the coast of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, its fury has waned but the fear of flooding has come to front. Flooding has been reported in three rivers including Subarnarekha, Bedanya in Odisha. Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts in the state have been hit by the floods.
The rescue operations have shifted focus to flood hit areas and the teams will be airdropping food packets in the affected areas. Flood warning has also been issued to Bihar with high water levels in Kosi and Gandhak rivers.
The cyclone that made its landfall on Saturday has weakened considerably as it travels inland. Though 21 people have reportedly lost their lives in cyclone related incidents, the administration's preparedness saved lives of several others. But the devastation is widespread with over 9 lakh people in shelters and 5 lakh hectares of crops damaged. The rehabilitation in the affected areas will be the next big challenge for the government.
"We were scared with the way the wind was blowing. When the return wind came around things started flying everywhere," an onlooker said.
Houses have been blown away, electricity poles uprooted, businesses shut, people have are trying to battle the massive devastation to property that the cyclone has caused. "I have incurred huge losses from this cyclone, my hotel is resting on the seabed. I wasn't able to leave the hotel, I stayed here all night. There were a lot of guests, they also left in fear. The Odisha government is not giving us any relief. We are very worried," said a victim of the natural calamity.
In Andhra Pradesh, the Srikakulam district suffered the maximum damage. The NDRF teams who have been working hard to limit the damages are relived that lives have saved. "The situation was very serious, it was hard to do our job. We couldn't even stand properly in the wind. At the same time it was raining as well. We got a call from a sarpanch saying there were people stuck in 2 villages that needed rescue. We managed to rescue all the people there, maybe 45 - 48 aged, sick and children included, and shifted them to a safe location," an NDRF worker recalls..
The predictions by the Met department regarding the movements of cyclone Phailin allowed the government to start a massive evacuation of people from the villages and towns close to the sea well in time.
Speaking to CNN-IBN's Karan Thapar, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik called said that the damage has been minimal. "We are now clearing the roads. Train services will also resume.", a relived CM said.
Patnaik who is closely monitoring the relief work lauded the district administration of Ganjam, Brahmapur, Puri, Kendrapara and neighbouring areas for doing a commendable job by averting a massive tragedy. The district collectors led the evacuation operation and arranged temporary shelters in a record time. The use of media to alert the people was also very effective," he said.
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