Cyclone Phailin: Timely evacuation, accurate weather prediction helped avert tragedy

NEW DELHI: India withstood the fury of cyclone Phailin that pounded the shores of Odisha as accurate weather forecasts and timely evacuation of nearly 9 lakh people minimised the death toll to about nine, signalling better disaster preparedness as a similarly deadly storm had massacred 10,000 people in the same area 14 years ago.

Cyclone Phailin, which smashed Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh with gusts of 230 kph, uprooted trees, blew away hoardings and overhead water tanks and mangled communication and electricity wires, had fizzled out with friction from land as it moved to the interior areas of the state but heavy rainfall is forecast in the state and neighbouring areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Roads were strewn with trees and debris, while thousands of telecoms towers were damaged.

While Odisha will see blue skies on Monday, weather scientists said that in the aftermath of the storm, heavy rainfall can cause flooding in vast areas. The Met department has issued a flood alert for Bihar with Kosi and Gandak river flowing over danger mark. The India Meteorological Department said the storm had lashed 14 districts of Odisha and five in Andhra Pradesh after striking Gopalpur between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm on Saturday. “From Monday there will no adverse weather. The fishermen are for now advised not to venture into sea along and off Odisha and West Bengal coast,” said IMD’s cyclone warning division chief Dr Mrutunjay Mohapatra.

Train service from Kolkata to Puri was restored on Sunday. State government officials said electricity supply and telecommunications will be restored to normal very quickly. In many places, power supply was switched of as a precaution. In Andhra Pradesh, striking employees had agreed to resume duty ahead of the cyclone. The damage was less than what was feared but the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had deployed 29 teams in rescue operations in Odisha, 19 teams in Andhra Pradesh and seven in West Bengal.

“Seventy-eight thousand fishermen were not allowed to go to sea, which averted any major casualty. We have given 10 kg rice to each fishermen as compensation,” said an NDMA spokesperson. Currently, 1,073 relief camps in Odisha and 135 camps in Andhra Pradesh were operational.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik directed officials to carry out extensive relief and rehabilitation work to help out the affected people. Over 9 lakh people were evacuated to safe places in the coastal districts of the state. “The government successful efforts has led to minimising the loss of precious lives and I thank the officials for their commitment,” the chief minister said.

According to preliminary estimates, as many as 80 lakh people have been affected by the cyclone in Odisha. 14,500 villages of 1,900 gram panchayats in 99 blocks have reportedly been affected.