Severe cyclone Dana and accompanying rains are likely to damage standing crops in an area of 1.75 lakh acre, and submerged another 2.80 lakh acre in Odisha, a senior official said on Saturday, citing preliminary estimates.
The state government has ordered a joint assessment of crop losses due to the storm by officials from the agriculture and finance departments, he said.
“As per initial reports, the crop area likely to be affected by #CycloneDana is estimated at 1,75,000 hectares (69,995 ha). The crop area submerged is estimated at 2,80,000 (1,12,310 ha),” Agriculture and Farmers Development Executive Secretary U. -Arabinda Padhi said in X’s post.
“We have instructed @krushibibhag officials to assess and calculate the crop loss (more than 33 percent and above), in collaboration with our colleagues from the Finance Department in a forum directed by district collectors,” he said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi during a review meeting on Friday night said that the final estimate of the loss in the agricultural sector will be known in a detailed report, on the basis of which the government will decide on the compensation of farmers.
He said that about 8 lakh people have been moved to cyclone shelters, many of them have been allowed to return to their homes as the weather improves.
Meanwhile, around 22.42 lakh houses faced power outage due to the storm. Of them, electricity was restored to 14.8 lakh houses on Friday evening, and the rest will be done on Saturday, said the official.
Energy Department Principal Secretary Hemant Shara was visiting Kendrapara and Bhadrak, the two worst-hit districts, to supervise the restoration work.
Super Cyclone Dana hit the east coast early on Friday, causing heavy rain and strong winds that uprooted trees and power poles, and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and crops in Odisha and West Bengal.
The landfall started around 12.05 am on Friday between Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara and Dhamra in Odisha’s Bhadrak district with a wind speed of around 110 kmph, and ended around 8.30 am.