Cyclone Fani, one of the strongest storms to strike India in the last 20 years, made landfall today early morning, in Orissa, unleashing torrential rains and windstorm that gusted up to 175 kmph, killing at least eight people, blowing away thatched houses, and swamping towns and villages. Power, communication lines, roads have been severely damaged in Orissa and other states. Capital city Bhubaneswar, the temple town of Puri and other coastal areas witnessed wide-scale destruction. Large areas in the seaside pilgrim town of Puri and other places were submerged as heavy rains battered the entire coastal belt.
The ‘extremely severe’ cyclonic storm which emerged from the Bay of Bengal is being seen as the most severe and the worst cyclonic storm over the east coast of India in nearly two decades. It is also likely to have an impact on, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, parts of the northeast and Bangladesh. The timely steps taken by the State Governments in evacuating nearly 12 Lakh people saw fewer casualties. Relief measures are being taken on a very large scale.NFIFWI conveys its support to the affected people and wish that normalcy is restored at the earliest.
