Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, accompanied by Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari and Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, conducted an aerial survey on Sunday to assess the extent of damage caused by Cyclone Dana, which struck the Odisha coast on Friday morning.
The CM surveyed severely affected areas in Kendrapara, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts, which bore the brunt of the storm. Following the survey, Majhi expressed concern about the flood-like conditions in several regions caused by intense rains during the cyclone.
“I visited the cyclone-hit areas today. Many pockets are experiencing flood-like situations due to heavy rainfall. District Collectors have been directed to prepare detailed damage reports, and, based on those, a compensation package will be issued to the affected individuals,” said the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, revenue and disaster mitigation minister Suresh Pujari reported that Cyclone Dana affected 1,671 gram panchayats across 108 blocks in 14 districts and impacted 426 wards in 31 urban areas throughout Odisha. A total of 3,595,000 people have been severely affected by the cyclone.
Pujari also highlighted the successful evacuation of 810,896 people to safe locations prior to the cyclone’s impact. Preliminary assessments indicate that 125,091 houses have sustained varying degrees of damage—ranging from partial to severe destruction.
“Instructions have been sent to district administrations to submit detailed infrastructure damage reports to the State Relief Commissioner (SRC) by November 2. If the weather allows, CM Mohan Majhi and other officials will conduct another aerial survey on Monday to assess the damage. The final report will be forwarded to the Centre, and a team from the Centre is expected to visit the state to conduct its own assessment of the damages caused by the storm,” said Minister Pujari.
The minister noted that there have been no fatalities directly linked to Cyclone Dana. However, 28 individuals suffered snake bites in the aftermath of the storm; all have since been treated and are now in stable condition.