Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday asked collectors of the districts affected by cyclone ‘Amphan’ to submit preliminary assessment reports on the damage caused by the disaster within two days.
After the extremely severe cyclonic storm rolled past the Odisha coast, triggering heavy downpour and fierce winds, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Kumar Jena said the collectors have been asked to submit the reports on the extent of damage in their respective districts within 48 hours.
The direction came after ‘Amphan’ hit coastal districts like Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore and parts of the northern district of Mayurbhanj.
The cyclone has caused damage to some government buildings and structures, affected agriculture and horticulture sectors, houses and power infrastructure, the SRC said.
Jena said post-disaster road clearance operation has already started in Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and other areas by personnel of the NDRF, ODRAF, fire services and the Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC).
He said the state government’s target is to clear the stretches where trees have been uprooted and restore road communication in the next 12 hours. Besides, efforts are on to reinstate power supply as soon as possible.
As per preliminary reports, 19,38,382 power consumers have been affected in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajapur, Mayurbhanj, Jagatsinghpur and Ganjam districts, officials said.
Jena said a crop advisory, prepared by the Directorate of Agriculture for protection of matured and harvested paddy as well as non-paddy had been issued for wide circulation among the field functionaries and farmers.
Awareness camps and mike announcements were also taken up in different villages to shift the harvested crops and grains to a safer place, he added.
Also read: All about Cyclone Amphan, the extremely severe storm with 185 kmph wind speeds to hit Bengal