Preliminary financial loss of 4,242 crore due to the twin calamity

Bhubaneswar:20.10.13:Union home secretary Anil Goswami, who visited cyclone affected Ganjam on Sunday, said a joint efforts by the state and central government saved maximum lives from Phailin that lashed the Odisha coast on the night of October 12.

“We managed to save maximum lives. Now our efforts should be to reduce the suffering of the affected people,” said Goswami, who was on a one-day visit to make assessment of the damage caused by the cyclone and subsequent flood.

Goswami cancelled his visit to Balasore district worst affected by flood due to bad weather and held discussions with top state government officials in Bhubaneswar. Seeking central help, state chief secretary JK Mohapatra handed over a memorandum to Goswami that detailed a preliminary financial loss of 4,242 crore due to the twin calamity.

Cyclone Phailin hit the beach town of Gopalpur in Ganjam on the night of October 12 with a wind speed of more than 200 km per devastated the communication system and power supply in all affected districts, uprooted trees, overturned trucks and flattened kuchha buildings, mostly in Ganjam district.

A day latter, the waning cyclone caused heavy rain triggering flood in Balasore and Mayurbhanj in northern Odisha by the next day, catching the state government unawares. Around 1.12 crore people in 17 districts of Odisha were affected due to the twin calamity of cyclone and flood. At least 44 people have died so far, including 23 in flood.

The state government succeeded in minimizing loss of lives by evacuating more than 900,000 people, but finds it difficult to reach relief and rehabilitate them even a week after the calamity. Thousands are still spending nights out in the open without a roof over the head.

The high-velocity cyclone Phailin that hit Odisha about a week ago is estimated to have destroyed around 26 lakh trees in the state.

“As per reports received from cyclone-affected areas about 26 lakh trees have been damaged. The number might go up as reports from a few other places are yet to pour in,” said a senior forest official.

The details process of damaged trees is still in progress which is taking time as many forest areas have become inaccessible after the cyclone, he said adding once the roads were cleared, detailed reports would be obtained from all divisions.

It was earlier estimated that about 1.1 lakh trees had been uprooted in the worst-affected Ganjam and Gajapati districts alone. With massive damage to forest areas, experts have suggested that the government should go for wind-resistant local varieties such as mango, neem and banyan instead of planting trees.

“The cyclone with high wind speed has devastated the forest areas brought down more than 21 lakh trees. This has caused severe damage to the green cover of the state. We will take necessary steps for restoration,” said forest minister Bijayshree Routray.

The situation is turning very shaky in Odisha

Kandhamal:19.10.13:People are in the devastation of efect  shocking. The area was famous for its greenery having thousands of trees and it was well know as a tourist place, but the storm had stripped it of its pride possession and rendered it barren. It hurt us when we knew that the dread storm had spared the costal as well as in Kandhamal.

The low-lying areas with paddy crops to the district had been fully submerged. We passed many villages in Kandhamal, which too had faced the fury of the cyclone. With their houses damaged, most of them had smashed. We hardly saw any people or any vehicle on the road. A dead silence had reigned supreme everywhere. 

 “The situation is turning very shaky. Putrefaction of animal cadaver, rotting of uprooted trees, Drinking water,Communication and open toilets now threaten outbreak of epidemics. But the Government does not appear to be serious to address these problems,” Mrs. Kambsi Pradhan said.

When most of the people could have resorted to self-shifting to safety place after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted Phailin, the State Government continues to make false claims that it evacuated more than 9 lakh people and tries to spread its version across the globe by means of media sources said. 

“Everyone was focusing on the coastal evacuations and relief and recovery along the coast and we weren’t prepared for the Phailin hits in Kandhamal areas as well,” Mr.Buri Nayak,a victim surviver said. 

A village of just 2,400 people, Arjiapali was among the first places to be hit by Phailin

Berhampur:18.10.13:Odisha could take a year to recover from the devastation of Cyclone Phailin, according to Catholic Relief Services, more then 10 million people affected, many of them homeless.

John Shumlansky, India representative of CRS, said the organization was still assessing the fallout from the huge tropical storm which battered India’s eastern coast on Saturday, killing 26 people.

“The destruction and the impact are massive,” he said in Odisha’s heavily damaged state capital, Bhubaneswar. “Nothing could escape nature’s fury.”

The toll could have been much worse were it not for mass evacuations, prompting the UN to call India’s preparations for the giant storm a “landmark success story in disaster management”.

CRS is among numerous relief agencies, including the government, delivering aid to the worst hit coastal towns of Ganjam, Balasore and Puri.

In Ganjam, home to more than 3.5 million people, nearly a quarter of a million houses were destroyed and crops have been wiped out with total damage estimated at 30 billion rupees  in the town alone.

“It will take more than a year to bring the people’s lives back on track,” said Shumlansky.

In Balasore, the district worst affected by flooding, an estimated 900,000 people have been displaced as vast areas remain under water.

“We need to think about Balasore as water is standing there and creating problems as compared to other places where the cyclone has come and gone and people have started bringing their lives [back] to normal,” said Shumlansky.

People are going back to their damaged or destroyed houses without any belongings, he said, and many have seen their means of earning a living destroyed.

In the small town of Arjiapali, 7km down the coast from Chatrapur, some 12,000 fishermen of the district have urged the government to replace or repair their damage, destroyed and lost boats so they can feed their families again.

“We do not want any relief from the government. We want help to restore our fishing livelihoods,” said B. Simadari, head of the district’s fishing community.

Like other affected communities, people in Arjiapali have received 500 rupees and 50 kg rice in immediate aid from the government.

A village of just 2,400 people, Arjiapali was among the first places to be hit by Phailin when it reached the bay of Bengal coast at around 8.15pm on Saturday.

“It is quite visible from the destruction around that our village bore the maximum brunt but we don’t want to be dependent on the government. That would make us useless,” Simadari said.

With the financial toll from Phailin expected to 200,000 rupees to the families of each of the 25 victims, it remains to be seen whether authorities will commit the money required to replace the hundreds of fishing vessels lost.” That is a lot of money. Which we cannot afford this much,” Simadari added.

Odisha now faces another struggle

Bhubaneswar:17.10.13: The worst affected district, Ganjam, is now in a sever disaster. Preliminary estimates indicate that 234,000 houses have been destroyed and the electricity infrastructure of the district requires a huge reconstruction effort. The damage in terms of lost livelihoods, due to crop destruction, work loss and other economic effects, will be fully known only in the weeks and months ahead. Phailin’s final bill may end up biting Odisha quite a bit.

Further, its administrative ability to evacuate residents from the disaster zone was non-existent. For crucial days, it was the army that delivered all the essential services apart from the task of rescuing and ferrying residents to safety. So the record is too patchy to say that India as a whole has moved on Mr.Ambika,Odisha chapter UNDP said.

Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Keojhar and Bhadrak districts in the state are flooded, and power distribution systems and grids have been severely damaged in many places, Gajapati and Kandhamal especially in Ganjam, by the severest cyclone to hit the country in several years, state government officials said here.

Even as the Odisha government is grappling with heavy flooding in several areas and the prospect of large-scale rehabilitation following Cyclone Phailin, the meteorological department has predicted heavy rainfall in several northern states as a fallout of the storm.

Odisha Phailin Cyclone Response Forum started Phailin assessment

Bhubaneswar: 16/10/13: The Odisha Phailin Cyclone Response Forum meeting started at 3.30 pm in CYSD on 15^th of Oct. 2013. The Principal Secretary-Government of Odisha Mr. Upendra Behera, Inter Agency Group members along with Civil Society Organization from different parts of Odisha and other finance official of the Government of Odisha around 100 have actively participated. The objective of assembly was (a) To understand the gravity of “Phailin” cyclone situation (b) Many hands approach to work together as said by the former RTI Commissioner Mr. Jagdananda Panda who preside over the meeting today.

The agenda of the meeting followed with self introduction, presentation of findings by RPCRF, led by AINA Mrs. Sneha, Individual sharing of respective affected areas, government initiative by Mr. Upendra Behera, sum-up by Mr. J. Panda and formation of Groups for thematic component such as Livelihood, Entitlement, Housing and Sanitation, Different Able Persons, Child Protection etc. The group will work with collaborative and coordinating closely to government departments. 

               Overall, 14 districts in Odisha were affected by the storm.The flood situation is harsh in Balasore and Mayurbhanj, Mr. Upendra Behera said in the emergency meeting at CYSD, Bhubaneswar. Three teams of National Disaster Response Force and teams of the Orissa Disaster Response Action Force have been dispatched to the most affected areas.

About 1200 families directly affected and their houses are damaged by the cyclone hit as per our rapid assessment from different blocks. The power supply has been cut off in the district since last three days. Strong winds uprooted the trees and electricity poles, heavy rainfalls overflowed the streams blocked roads Father Manoj Nayak-Jana Vikas,Kandhamal said.

Cyclone Phailin lashed India’s eastern coast at Gopalpur in Ganjam district with wind speeds of up to 220km per hour around 09.30pm on Saturday, bringing heavy rains across south coastal Odisha , he add.

By all accounts, the Odisha government has managed to contain the human fallout of Cyclone Phailin. The human toll was less than 50 deaths at the time of writing. This is in stark contrast to the last time Odisha faced cyclonic destruction in 1999 when some 10,000 persons lost their lives one of a participant said.

Twenty-one people died and 11.9 million people have been affected by the cyclone and the ensuing floods in 128 blocks of the state, according to state administration. Rescue teams have been pressed into action to airdrop food packets in flood-hit areas. In Balasore district, around 300,000 people are locked by floodwater government official said.

Human Rights Defender Forum (HRDF) preparation for Phailin Response

Bhubaneswar: 15.10.13: The Phailin cyclone has stork to the Odisha severely. A disaster response meeting has held by Human Rights Defenders held in Bhubaneswar on today. Sri Dhirendra Panda, Convener, Civil Society forum for Human Rights and Pradipta Nayak lad the assembly , Sri Bagambara Patnayak was the chairman of the occasion. Observance on opinion of participated activists following decisions have determined in the meeting for compassionate response.

             The death toll in Odisha mounted to more then 50 after 30 more people perished in seven costal districts of the state in the aftermath of Cyclone Phailin that also triggered a flood in some areas. Most of the casualties were caused by wall collapse, uprooted trees and in floods, while a large number of people were injured, the HRD forums ground report said. The cyclone led to floods in the two districts of Bhadrak, Baleswar and Mayurbhanj where near half of Baripada town was submerged. 

           Most affected areas are Chikiti block of Ganjam, Mohana of Gajapati and Daringbadi block of Kandhamal will be taken out of other district for a rapid assessment to track the government by the forum. Dalit, Adivasi, Marginalized and Daily labour are to be taken care, chairman said.

          About 14,514 villages in 12 districts have been affected, hitting a population of 90,60,4 81 given details of the devastation caused by the cyclone according to SRC and state government report.

          Still there is many people are struggling to come out.  Hardly anyone can be seen on the streets - the government has unable to manage the relocation, most people living along the coast. Most people have stocked up on provisions, unsure of what to expect fro the government.

          Major points to meet the disaster mitigation:-

Activists and members of leading Human Rights Defender Forum to be revisiting the government mechanism for disaster mitigation of UN amendments on disaster.

The forum evaluated that the government has misappropriation of relief, rehabilitation.

The team will monitor and keep on vigilant of any kind of prejudice in relief and rehabilitation

The forum will engage in each every identified block of affected districts of Odisha to asses the damage of individual affected families and put forth before the government to get the compensation  

Phailin impact assessment of damage, lost etc has to be compensated by the government.

Disaster management measures suppose to follow the guideline of United Nation.

Forum will be focused on Pre, during and Post occurrence of disaster mitigation in the finding Mr.Kularanjan D.majhi,OROSA said.

About 14,514 villages in 12 districts have been affected, hitting a population of 80,53,620 given details of the devastation caused by the cyclone:Odisha Revenue Minister Surjya Narayan Patro

Bhubaneswar:14/10/13:Phailin', a very severe cyclonic storm on last Saturday struck the Odisha, bringing in its wake hammering rains and wind speeds of near about 200 to 220 kmph in costal area of Odisha.

 The cyclone has now weakened into a deep depression with wind speed of 45-55 kmph, according to the IMD today.

                About 14,514 villages in 12 districts have been affected, hitting a population of 80,53,620 given details of the devastation caused by the cyclone, Odisha Revenue Minister Surjya Narayan Patro said.

The death toll in Odisha mounted to 23 after 14 more people perished while one was missing in seven districts of the state in the aftermath of Cyclone Phailin that also triggered a flood in some areas. Most of the casualties were caused by wall collapse, uprooted trees and in floods, while a large number of people were injured, official sources said. The cyclone led to floods in the two districts of Bhadrak, Baleswar and Mayurbhanj where near half of Baripada town was submerged. 

                Local people  listed of broken houses are fully and partially 192 houses in Raikia block, 20 houses of Bramanigam, 10 house of Kumbharigan, 18 houses of Dandimaha, 02 houses Sikapata village under Daringbadi Block, 12 houses in Sarangada village of K.Nuagam, 120 houses under G. Udayagiri block,01 house in Dastaguda,16 houses in Rutungia,08 houses in Kelapada,05 houses in Lada,08 houses in Budakambi,02 houses in Tudukipada,06 houses in Pabingia,03 houses in Dhandragan,07 houses in Gundhani,03 houses in Baliguda,06 houses in Bataguda,08 houses in Sugadbadi,15 houses in Padapada,08 houses in Delapada,01 house in Budakempa,05 houses in Putikapadi villages of the district have got damaged. Families had been taken for shelter them self in schools, community halls and temple, churches in Kandhamal.

                  Merely about 476 families directly affected and their houses are damaged by the cyclone hit as reported by local people from different blocks. The power supply has been cut off in the district since last two days. Strong winds uprooted the trees and electricity poles, heavy rainfalls overflowed the streams blocked roads Mr.Ajit Kumar Kullu-BDO-Raikia Block,Kandhamal said.

                  Near about 51 houses have damaged identified.05 house of Kutanigand, 12 house of Daningia, 16 house of Rangamati, 11 house of Anandpur,06 houses in Adava,01 house of Gargedi village under Mohana block of Gajapati district. Odisha government began relief and restoration work in the districts Mrs.Rashmee Rathan-Standing Committee Chairperson, Zilla Parishad of Gajapati district said.

                  Kalinga Hills of Kandhamal weakened phailin; but there are damages in villages with reports of houses being destroyed. Kandhamal hills just within 100/150 kilometers from Gopalpur.Daringbadi is a biggest block in Kandhamal situated on 3000 feet above sea level filled with forests and hills that reduced speed and weakened furious and aggressive Phailin. It is a warning and lesson for mining corporations and governments to save lives; save forests and hills. Nature saves us, teaches; Save Forest/Hills, Forest saves life the Kandhamal people believed.