Cyclone Phailin: Odisha stares at expensive rehabilitation

Even as pinpoint weather information and massive evacuation could keep the loss of human life to the minimal in Odisha, the state now stares at the colossal loss of property due to the severe cyclonic storm Phailin that had hit the state’s coast on Sunday night. The trail of destruction left by cyclone Phailin is a clear indication that rehabilitation is going to be tough and costly. “Rehabilitation is the biggest challenge. Property to the tune of several crores have been lost. But we have been successful in minimising the loss of life,” Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in his short address to the media. Hamlets and houses that were closer to the coastline, particularly in Gopalpur, bore the brunt of the nature’s fury, where Phailin made the landfall. Coastal Andhra Pradesh could also minimize loss of human life but the loss to property was also there.[caption id=“attachment_1169605” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Image courtesy PIB [/caption] “We have sustained damages worth around Rs 9 crore. Our houses have also been destroyed. The government has said they will give us compensation but we haven’t got anything so far,” Haripur village head told CNN-IBN. In Odisha, the loss of life was minimal, which has now reached 15, because people were shifted to cyclone shelter in relatively safer areas. In terms of connectivity, while this copy was being written the East Coast Railway had successfully restored the rail link between Howrah and Puri. All trains were cancelled in the section since Sunday noon due to the impending cyclone. Apart from that, the railways had suffered losses to its signalling and equipment besides damage to platforms and stations. Giving a picture of the restoration and rehabilitaion process, Patnaik told CNN-IBN in Bhubaneswar, “Well as you know the storm was at the speed of more than 200 km. But we hope by this evening we will clear all the roads and done necessary repairs. By tomorrow most of the power will be restored except for some places in Ganjam district. We are working on that as well.” “In the district of Ganjam, almost two lakh kaccha houses have been damaged but we are seeing on rehabilitation work. One must remember the velocity of the storm was more than 200 km and people were moved from five miles from the coast. I am relieved that the relief material including food and medical supplies are all available to the affected people and we will work on rehabilitation plan immediately,” the chief minister said. Giving details of the devastation caused by the storm, Odisha State Revenue and Disaster Minister SN Patro said 14,514 villages in 12 districts were affected, hitting a population of 8,53,620. Patro said there were no major casualties though Phailin was no less than a super cyclone as the large scale evacuation of people to storm shelters prevented casualties which were seen in the 1999 super cyclone that left nearly 10,000 dead. Earlier in the day, IMD Director General LS Rathore said at noon that the wind speed of the cyclone was at 100 to 110 kmph. A flood warning was issued to Bihar as widespread rains are expected in the wake of the receding cyclone. The cyclone warning was taken off Andhra Pradesh and same would be done for Odisha gradually, he said. CNN-IBN quoting cabinet secretary Ajit Seth reported that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was himself monitoring the the rescue and relief operation. Praising the minimal loss of life and fast and timely evacuation, NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul contributed Rs 25 lakh towards relief and rehabilitation. “The efforts of the state and central authorities, including the defence forces, to limit the casualties was truly amazing. I saw their work with pride and admiration on TV channels,” he said. Despite the praiseworthy efforts to kep human lives safe, India can little afford to ignore the damage to its infrastructure. The country’s important sea asset Paradip Port also faced damage due to cyclone Phailin. “We are assessing the damages. We don’t have access to 10 km long channel as five-six metre high tides are there. A group of 20 engineers have embarked on foot survey of accessible areas,” Paradip Port Trust, Odisha, chairman Sudhanshu Shekhara Mishra told PTI. Mishra said though the storm has subsided but situation was grim there and work was on war-footing to restore road connectivity as two major roads had caved in on Sunday last night. The port had shut all cargo operations, plants and machinery and put in place a contingency plan to meet any eventuality due to Cyclone Phailin. “As per preliminary assessments about 40,000 trees were uprooted in the vicinity and operations to clear the area have started. Cooked food has been arranged for about 2,000 people sheltered in port area including employees of the port trust,” he said. However, in the midst of adversity good news also came in. Eighteen fishermen, who were trapped in a trawler near Paradip ahead of Cyclone Phailin, returned safely, PTI reported. Odisha State Revenue and Disaster Minister SN Patro said the men jumped from the trawler and swam to safety at Ersama in Jagatsinghpur district. The fishermen were trapped around 4 km from Paradip. Although in the morning, there were reports that the Panama registered MV Bingo carrying 8,000 tonne of iron ore, which was sailing to China after it left the Sagar anchorage on 11 October, sunk and its crew missing, by evening it was found that the crew was located. “The crew members have been located 45 nautical miles away by Dornier aircraft of the Coast Guard. They are sending a vessel to bring them back,” Kolkata Port Trust chairman RPS Kahlon told PTI.