Spectre of cyclone Amphan haunts seaside villages in Odisha

KENDRAPARA/BALASORE: The spectre of cyclone Amphan has been haunting residents of seaside villages in the district. The district administration issued an alert on Sunday for tackling an imminent cyclone. A team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been put on alert and 117 cyclone shelters along with 51 power boats kept ready in the district,  said Collector Samarth Verma.  

The Collector asked residents of coastal villagers not to panic, but still a large number of wary villagers are prepared to shift to safer places, said Arjun Mandal of Batighar village. In Balasore, the district administration has set up a 24X7 control room here to keep track of cyclone Amphan and address concerns of block and other officials. District Emergency Officer Rizwana Kawkab said the district has 140 cyclone shelters of which 58 were converted into temporary medical centres (TMCs).

The rest will be used as cyclone shelters for accommodating people from areas likely to be affected by the storm. Two NDRF teams is already camping in the district to help in rescue efforts. Besides, the civil supply officer has been instructed to stock adequate dry ration. Kawkab said 2.90 lakh people in 273 villages are likely to be affected by the cyclone.