BHUBANESWAR: Cyclone Yaas left a trail of destruction in north Odisha killing at least two persons, uprooting hundreds of trees, inundating several low-lying seaside villages, flattening kutcha houses while making landfall 20 km south of Balasore on Wednesday. This is the third summer cyclone in as many years that the state has been witness to, though its intensity was much less than earlier predicted. IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the very severe cyclonic storm struck the land with a wind speed of around 130 km to 140 km per hour, less than the earlier anticipated 150-165 kmph. Despite lesser ferocity, the two districts of Balasore and Bhadrak, which bore the brunt of the cyclone, saw seawater enter low-lying areas even as heavy downpour triggered waterlogging. Around 90 villages were flooded in Balasore alone, authorities said. Entire north Odisha witnessed torrential rain with Chandbali in Bhadrak district recording the highest 288.3 mm followed by Rajakanika in Kendrapada (251 mm) in the past 24 hours. The two deceased were identified as Purnachandra Nayak (50), a native of Panchupali village under Anandpur block of Keonjhar district and Mantu Jena (22) of Balasore town. Jena had stepped out of the cyclone shelter when the branch of a tree fell on him. A similar fate befell Nayak, who had gone to a temple. The government has now turned its attention to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among the six lakh people it had evacuated to cyclone shelters after screening their health. “While reviewing the post-cyclone situation, chief minister Naveen Patnaik has asked officials to monitor possible Covid symptoms among the evacuated people by ASHA and anganwadi workers for the next two weeks. Physical distancing may have been compromised while they were moved to safety,” special relief commissioner Pradeep Jena said. Naveen announced seven days’ relief for all families of 128 marooned villages in the cyclone affected districts. A government statement said 80% power supply in affected districts will be restored within 24 hours. Jena said it is too early to estimate the number of people affected and properties damaged. “Seawater has entered some villages. There is no report of any major damage to telecom, power and road infrastructure. Rapid assessment and restoration work are on. The picture will be clearer by Thursday,” Jena said. The government has sounded an alert regarding possible flood in Budhabalanga and Subarnarekha rivers as torrential rain continued in Similipal area in Mayurbhanj as the cyclone progressed towards Jharkhand. The IMD has predicted extremely heavy rainfall (more than 20 cm) at isolated places in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Deogarh, Sundargarh and Angul districts in the next 24 hours.
Cyclone Yaas: Two die after they step out of shelter home in Odisha
