Phailin aftermath: Odisha battles floods, 6 dead in Bihar

Zee Media Bureau/Ajith Vijay Kumar Bhubaneswar/Patna: Cyclone Phailin may have passed away without causing much harm but heavy rains caused by the storm have triggered floods in five districts of Odisha and has put Bihar on flood alert. The situation is critical in Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Keonjhar districts of Odisha after water level rose in rivers like Subarnarekha, Budhabalang, Jalaka and Baitarani. The worst hit is Balasore district where over 2.5 lakh people in 930 villages are marooned. The situation remained grim, though flood waters have begun to recede. "The flood water has started receding. We hope it will recede further during the day," state Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Surya Narayan Patro told a news agency. The twin calamity of cyclone and floods have affected over 1.2 crore people in the state as more than 10.13 lakh people were evacuated to safe places. Although physical infrastructure has taken a hitd, the loss of human lives was minimal in comparison to the 1999 super cyclone, in which more than 10,000 people were killed.

Special rescue and relief teams that were activated to meet the Phailin challenge are now carrying out flood relief. Teams from NDRF and ODRAF are being assisted by the armed forces in the operations. Also Read: Ganjam worst hit by nature`s fury, 2.4 lakh houses damaged Bihar on flood alert, 6 dead Phailin has caused heavy rains in catchment areas in Nepal leading to flood like situation in Bihar. Major rivers of north part of the state like Kosi and Gandak flowing above the danger mark. At least six people were killed in different parts due to heavy rains and high speed winds under the effect of Cyclone Phailin. With the Met department predicting more rains, the state government has put the administration on high alert. NDRF teams are on standby. Begusarai, Purnia (106 mm), Muzaffarpur, Katihar and Vaishali received heavy to very heavy rain fall in the last 24 hours. In Patna, heavy rains caused waterlogging in several colonies. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is monitoring the situation and had held a high-level meeting in Patna to review preparation to deal with the flood threat.