10-min tornado leaves trail of destruction in Odisha’s Kendrapada dist
Kendrapada: Around 40 thatched houses were damaged and several trees uprooted when an unseasonable tornado hit the seaside villages of Kendrapada district on Monday afternoon.
Though the storm lasted 10 minutes from 4pm, it left behind a trail of destruction in Rangani, Patparia, Baghamari, Garata, Ahirajpur, Keruapala, Sailendrasarai, Hatiaganda, Pravati, Kantiakhai, Khamarasahi villges under the Rajnagar block in the district.
“The tornado blew away the roofs of 12 thatched houses injuring eight people in the village,” Rasmirekha Dalei, the sarpanch of Rangani gram panchayat, said.
Rabindra Singh of Khamarasahi said four children were injured by roof tiles and metal sheets, which the tornado sent flying in the air at the village.
Many wooden cabins were also damaged in the villages. Local officials rushed to the tornado-hit areas soon after it blew over the villages.
“At least 10 thatched houses were razed to the ground, while 20 others partially damaged at Baghamari village,” Mukti Kumar Patra, the sarapanch of Baghamari panchayat, said.
A villager of Pataparia said the fury of nature rendered many families homeless.
“The tornado tossed four fishing boats upside down at Talachua jetty. This left three fishermen injured,” Ramesh Mandal, one of the injured persons, said.
The authorities are yet to assess the extent of the damage caused by the tornado. However, no loss of human life and livestock has been reported. The power supply and road communication have been badly affected in the affected areas with many big trees and electric poles uprooted by the storm.
“The authorities will soon clear the roads by removing the uprooted trees. Some schools and cyclone shelters in the tornado-hit areas are now packed with women and children. We have started distributing food among the affected persons. We will arrange polythene covers for the affected persons soon. After proper assessment, the administration will provide financial help to the affected families to help them rebuild their houses,” Bholanath Sethi, the tehasildar of Rajnagar, who rushed to the affected areas on Monday afternoo, said.
In 2009, at least 18 persons were killed when a tornado struck Rajkanika block in Kendrapada district.