Beach cleared off visitors; roads sealed
One fisherman of the Pentkota fishers’ colony died and fifteen houses of the colony were damaged due to cyclone Hudhud here. About 4,000 persons were evacuated across the district under five blocks from low-lying areas and sea sides.
SP Asish Kumar Singh issued an advisory to the hotel owners to ensure staying of tourists in hotel rooms and asked them not to venture for sea bath or go to the beach. Police too sealed all the roads leading to the beach. The sea beach had been cleared of all visitors and vendors. life guards and the police personnel were keeping a close vigil in the area.
The road to hotel Sterling Resorts from the Hans Coco Palm, a stretch of nearly 3km along the beach, had been closed for traffic. Hotels located close to the sea were asked to evacuate their boarders since Saturday night following sudden rise in the sea water level to eight feet high. Fourteen electric poles standing on the beach were uprooted.
Incessant rain also inundated low lying areas in Puri municipality and the residents from there were shifted to safe shelters.
In Astaranga four villages were worst hit as the tidal sea waves entered their villages. They were shifted to cyclone shelters.
Similarly, in Krushna Prasad in Chilika, at the confluence point with the sea, the tidal waves entered Sipakuda and three other villages. In Chandrabhaga near Konark, the fishermen colony dwellers were evacuated to nearby cyclone shelters.
Though there was little effect of the cyclone in Puri, the initial announcements had panicked the visitors and the residents as well. Thousands of hotel bookings of visitors who were expected to spend the Puja holidays in Puri were cancelled. The hospitality industry sustained a huge loss, said Puri hotel owners’ association secretary RK Patra.
District Collector Arabind Agarwal and the SP made arrangements for the relief and rescue operation. The power and drinking water supply was almost stable.