Bhubaneswar, May 21 (IANS) As many as 44.80 lakh people in 89 blocks have been affected in Odisha by cyclone Amphan, according to an official, here on Thursday.
As per the preliminary reports, around 6,745 villages in 1,500 panchayats under 89 blocks had been affected by cyclone Amphan, said Odisha Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy. Crop in nearly 100,000 hectares land was damaged, he added.
Around 44 lakh consumers had been affected, he said during a National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting, chaired by Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba through video link, to review damages caused by the cyclone.
Tripathy said damages to agriculture would be assessed within two days.
Around 2,00,400 people have been evacuated and sheltered in 3,228 cyclone shelters and other buildings. The social distancing norms were being maintained, he added.
All fishermen had been brought back from seas and 22,050 fishing boats in the coastal districts berthed in safe places.
About 210 medical and 75 veterinary teams had started rescue operation in affected areas, Tripathy said and added, cleaning of road and restoration of power supply had been fast tracked.
While drinking water supply has been resumed, power supply to around 80 per cent of affected consumers in the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) area been restored. Around 86 per cent of mobile connectivity has also been restored.
With the prediction of cyclone’s path by the Indian Meteorological Department, the state government had positioned rescue teams in the coastal districts. These teams included 16 from the National Disaster Response Force, 15 from the Odisha Rapid Action Force, 217 from the Fire service and 75 from the Odisha Forest Division Corporation.
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