Odisha needs a whooping Rs 29,315 crore for recovering from the devastation that Cyclone Fani caused in May, 2019. The loss in the disastrous Cyclone Fani has been estimated at Rs 24,176 crore, according to the report that was released by state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Releasing the report – Cyclone Fani – Damage, Loss and Needs Assessment, he called for global support for rebuilding the state. On the occasion, Patnaik said that the state has set an example for others to follow in handling such disasters. He also noted that the state had undergone the biggest human evacuation. The way Odisha had handled the Cyclone was even praised by the United Nations.
The damage assessment was taken up by experts and representatives of the World Bank, United Nations and Asian Development Bank. They had assessed about 15 sectors and had prepared a detailed report.
Patnaik said that the report would provide a real time analysis of the needs of the present rebuilding and also would help in evaluating the needs of future developments. IT is said to be a road map for the future developmental activities that would be taken up in the state. He has called upon different agencies (both national as well as international), NGOs and civil bodies for helping in the revamp of the state.
Cyclone Fani that hit the state on May had affected about two crore people in 14 of the districts. As per the report, more than half of the loss was in the infrastructure, including houses.
In the report, the experts have pointed out a recovery plan centred on three pillars. Resilient Livelihoods, Resilient Infrastructure and Resilient Housing are the three pillars that the report has called for concentrating for a new Odisha.
