Cyclone Phailin: Coastal districts in Odisha plunged into darkness

Bhubaneswar: Power was switched off in a dozen towns in coastal districts of Odisha since Saturday morning in view of Cyclone Phailin, which made landfall near Gopalpur in Ganjam district. Since the supply at most places was through overhead wires which were vulnerable, power distribution companies SouthCo, CESU and NorthCo disconnected power.

"A direction was issued to snap the power supply in areas which experience gale of between 50 to 60 kmph as a precautionary measure," Golak Sahu, PRO Central Electricity Supply, which supplies power to 12 coastal districts, said. The districts where power was disconnected were Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Nayagarh, Puri, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsingh, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore and Mayurbhanj. Electric pylons and trees were uprooted in the coastal districts by the high winds. Though Ganjam and Puri districts experienced the brunt of the cyclone, other areas, including state capital Bhubaneswar, experienced heavy rainfall. Three Durga puja pandals crumbled under the impact of the storm while a large number of trees fell on roads affecting movement of traffic.