National Disaster Mitigation Authority (NDMA) vice-chairman Sashadharn Reddy and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General Krishna Choudhury on Tuesday visited the State, ahead of the visit of a high-level team, to assess the damages caused due to the twin natural calamities - Phailin and the subsequent floods.
Both Reddy and Chodhury took stock of the situation and the activities of the NDRF engaged for distribution of relief and restoration works and discussed with Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Surjya Narayan Patro at a high-level meeting and then met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat. Stating that this is the first exposure of then NDRF to conduct restoration work in cyclone affected areas, Reddy said this was the largest deployment of its forces – 29 teams in the restoration work which is almost half its strength.
Reddy said that since the initial restoration work and cutting of trees and clearing of the blocked roads had been complete in the cyclone-affected areas, half of the team members would be taken back. However, he said the State could keep the forces deployed, if it needed their services for few more days.
Reddy and Choudhury would leave for Ganjam to see the damages wrought by Phailin and review the restoration work of the NDRF forces on Wednesday.