Odisha Begins Restoration as Cyclone Yaas Leaves Behind Trail of Destruction
Two deaths, one each from Keonjhar and Balasore, have been reported but are yet to be confirmed. Major power disruption took place in coastal districts of the state.
NDRF personnel during restoration work at Anandpur, Keonjhar after cyclone Yaas hit Odisha on Wednesday, May 26. Photo: Twitter.
Government26/May/2021
Bhubaneswar: The severe cyclonic storm Yaas that struck Odisha coast near Dhamra in Bhadrak district, about 400 kms from here on Wednesday morning, has left behind a trail of destruction.
It has caused widespread damage to thatched houses, standing crops and trees in the rural belt of Bhadrak, Balasore, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts.
ODRAF personnel distribute relief materials to villagers.
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), an elite rescue unit of Odisha Police, has shifted its focus to villages that have been marooned by the ingression of sea and floodwaters in the aftermath of cyclone Yaas, which swept Balasore and Bhadrak on Wednesday. Additional forces and boats have been provided to them to reach out to the needy.
Rescue teams, which were pre-positioned in some other districts before the cyclone hit the state, have been diverted to the worst-hit Balasore and Bhadrak districts. The ODRAF teams have been given 63 inflatable rubber boats, 152 tower lights, 18 diesel generator sets of 10 kilo volt ampere (KVA), one 5 KVA generator, 35 generators of 3 KVA, 228 search lights, 330 branch cutters, 52 extendable saws, 88 bullet chain saws, 35 hydraulic rescue cutters, 11 plasma cutters, 16 gas cutters, 16 satellite phones, 123 walkie talkie gadgets and 50 global positioning system device
Flight operations at Kolkata’s NSCBI airport will be suspended from 8.30 am to 7.45 pm today, while Bhubaneshwar’s Biju Patnaik International airport will remain shut till 5 am on Thursday.