Bhubaneswar, Nov 1 (PTI) Odisha's death toll in Cyclone Arnab rose to six on Sunday, while 10 remained missing as the state announced a special package for affected families and braced for another storm that is likely to hit the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh coast on November 3.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Rajesh P Patil said Cyclone Arnab, which made landfall in Andhra Pradesh on October 28, and subsequent floods have impacted 1.18 lakh people in Odisha, affected 75,388 hectares of crop area and damaged 1,672 houses.
With Cyclone Murasu approaching, work was underway on two fronts: relief and rescue of people affected by Arnab and preparation for the impending calamity, he said.
The death toll due to Cyclone Arnab rose to six on Sunday with the recovery of two bodies from a landslide-hit village in the southern part of the state, while search was underway to trace 10 other missing people, officials said.
Home to around 26 people, the hilltop Gidipabali village on the border of Ganjam and Kandhamal districts disappeared from the map as an enormous amount of sludge and debris cascaded down the hills due to cyclone-induced rainfall and levelled houses.
At least 13 people who could escape the landslide have been sheltered at a relief centre near G Udaygiri, said Kandhamal District Collector Vedbhusan.
"The landslides have emerged as a major challenge for the state. At least 10 such incidents have been reported during Cyclone Arnab," Patil said.
"Relief and restoration work is progressing on a war footing... Ganjam and Kandhamal districts have been affected the most by Cyclone Arnab and resultant floods," Patil said.
Learning from the calamity, the state has been adopting new strategies to mitigate the calamity, said a senior official at the revenue department.
Power supply restoration has been accelerated in the cyclone-affected areas of southern Odisha with more than 6,400 staff deployed.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the latest storm is set to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and make landfall on the intervening night of November 2 and 3 between Nellore and Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh, with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph.
This cyclone has been named 'Murasu' by India, meaning war drum.
Manorama Mohanty, the director of the meteorological centre in Bhubaneswar, said Odisha will receive rainfall from November 2, and its intensity would increase on November 3, continuing through November 4 under the cyclone's influence.
Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the government was fully prepared to tackle the impending cyclone and assured people not to panic.
"While retaining the arrangements made for Cyclone Arnab, the state has upgraded its machinery and preparation to deal with the situation," said
The state has already sounded a high alert in the southern region, including Ganjam, which was severely hit by Cyclone Arnab, he said, adding the government has ordered the evacuation of people from low-lying areas and hilly terrain before Cyclone Murasu makes landfall.
Some southern Odisha districts have announced closure of schools and colleges till November 3.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi conducted an aerial survey of the flood situation in Odisha and announced a special package for the affected people.
"Each deluge-hit family in the southern region will get 50 kg of rice and Rs 2,500, besides financial assistance for crop loss and damage to houses and livelihood," he said.
Majhi said the relief package will be reviewed upon assessing damage after Cyclone Murasu passes.
"Disaster response forces remain on standby, low-lying areas are being closely monitored, and fishermen have been strictly advised not to venture into the sea," he said.
Majhi informed reporters that an eight-member inter-ministerial central team will visit Odisha from November 2 to 4 to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Arnab.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)