About 34,000 people of 112 villages in Keonjhar district were hit by floods as heavy rains were triggered by the cyclone Phailin since Saturday.
Incessant rains continued 48 hours in the district raising the water levels in the rivers above the danger levels. Floodwaters from the Kusei river submerged the approach road and paddy fields of villages under Saladei panchayat cutting off the land communication.
More than 24 houses were reported to have been damaged in the rains and floodwater in Taruan, Narsinghpur and Kulola villages. Villagers in Atta, Batto and Madhukesari have suffered heavy crop loss and house damages as floodwaters of river Baitarani inundated many areas including the paddy fields at a time the farmers were about to harvest the crop.
Seven panchayats of Hatadihi block along the bank of the Baitarani including Ambo, Habaleswar, Sadang, Samana, Gedema, Aitpur, Sulana and Raghabpur are worst-affected by the floods.
Panchupalli panchayat of Anandpur block has suffered most from the cyclonic storm and floods.
Two NDRF teams are deployed for the rescue and relief operations in the Anandpur sub-division. Higher Education Minister BN Patra was monitoring the relief operations in Hatadihi block along with the NDRF team. District Collector Bishnu Prasad Sahoo rushed to Anandpur to supervise the relief works.
NGOs and Government officials are deputed for distribution of relief in the affected areas and revenue officials are also assigned to make a preliminary assessment of the damages.
Sources claimed that more than 56,000 acres of crop has been damaged in the 112 affected villages, but there has been no report of heavy loss of life. Only Saraswati Naik (55), wife of Nityananda Naik of village Nuapada under Tagarpada gram panchayat in Patna block was reportedly killed while a wall of her house collapsed on Saturday night.
Free kitchen was opened in the 112 affected villages of 25 gram panchayats for three days. Raghabpur was still cut off from the mainland and more than 200 villagers were stranded in the village until withdrawal of the floodwaters.
“We were adequately prepared for any kind of possible disaster for which relief and rescue operations were carried out fast,” Anandpur Sub-Collector Dr Maheswar Swain told The Pioneer.