Skip to main content

ACT Alliance Concept Note: Emergency Response to Cyclone Fani in Odisha State

Countries
India
Sources
ACT Alliance
Publication date
Origin
View original

Background

The extremely severe cyclonic storm, that made landfall at Puri on 3rd May 2019 (Friday), Odisha was one of the "rarest of the rare" summer cyclones -- the first to hit Odisha in 43 years and one of the three to hit in the last 150 years. It unleashed copious rain and windstorm that gusted up to 250 kmph, blowing away thatched houses and swamping towns and villages, before weakening and entering into neighboring state of West Bengal in India. It was the severest cyclone to hit the state since the Super Cyclone of 1999, which had claimed nearly 10,000 lives and devastated vast areas of the state. The State Emergency Operation Center reported 37 deaths caused by the typhoon. 14,828,084 individuals were affected. Fourteen Districts were affected: Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Khordha, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, and Puri. The government also estimated that 508,467 houses have been damaged.

The Chief Minister also informed that the government is trying to restore power and water supply as soon as possible across the state of Odisha. Free cooked food will be provided to the cyclone affected people for the next 15 days.