Odisha: Cyclone-hit try to get lives back on track

KENDRAPADA: Four days after Cyclone Amphan hit the coastal Kendrapada district, people were still trying to pick up the threads of their life on Saturday. Those whose houses were completely damaged continue to live in makeshift polythene covers, cyclone shelters, schools and in the pucca houses of other villagers. Inhabitants of partially damaged houses are cleaning and repairing their houses by salvaging some materials from the rubble as well as adding new materials.
Currently, the focus of reconstruction are Mahakalpada, Rajnagar, Aul and Rajkanika blocks where the polythene tents and alternative shelters are far too inadequate to accommodate the displaced people. "There is no supply of bamboo, straw and other building materials adding to our woes," said Jagabandhu Nayak, former chairman of Rajnagar block.
Many villagers are rummaging through the remnants that was once their house for some utensils and other household articles. "I need at least 150 pieces of bamboo to rebuild my six-room house before the arrival of monsoon in June. But repair work is moving at a snail's pace due to non-availability of bamboo in the area," said Manas Nayak of the seaside Magarakandha village under Rajnagar block.
The damage to vegetable crop has triggered a rise in the prices. This is particularly true for potato, spinach, cucumber, pumpkin, which have registered a two-fold increase in prices,said Sahid Ali, a vegetable seller of Kendrapada. District emergency officer (Kendrapada) Sambeet Satapathy said 1,592 villages located in 41 wards in two civic bodies with a population of 15.22 lakh have been affected in the cyclone.