Bhubaneswar: May 3 certainly rings a bell at least for residents of Puri and Bhubaneswar. On this day, ‘Cyclone Fani’ hit these two cities hard along with other places in Odisha creating widespread destruction.
The ferocity of the cyclone and the pictures that emerged post the devastation it caused will forever remain etched in the minds of those who witnessed nature’s fury.
It was predicted that the cyclone would make landfall at any place between Puri and Brahmagiri, so over one million people were evacuated to safer places.
The landfall of ‘Cyclone Fani’ began at 8.00 am in the morning May 3. When the ‘Eye’ of the cyclone was over land, the wind speed was close to 175-185 kmph. It was accompanied by heavy rainfall.
‘Cyclone Fani’, after causing a trail of destruction left Odisha for West Bengal. However, by then its ferocity had diminished substantially.
Hundreds of trees, some huge ones, and electric poles were uprooted. Asbestos roofs were blown away. However, the casualty was minimum thanks to the steps taken by the Odisha government. The government’s readiness ensured restoration of emergency services. Power supply was restored quickly with people working round the clock.
A total of 14 districts suffered the brunt of the cyclone. But, the worst affected districts were Puri, Khurda (Bhubaneswar), Cuttack, Kendrapara, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur.
Of the 41 casualties, Puri alone reported 21 followed by Cuttack (five), Khurda, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur (foureach) and Kendrapara (three). More than 1.5 crore people were affected.
PNN