Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Fani’ ravaged the states of Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh on the 3rd and 4th of May. With wind speeds reaching up to 205 km/h, heavy rains and flying debris battered the coastal belt of Eastern India. Cyclone Fani is the worst India has seen in the last two decades, second only to the Odisha super-cyclone of 1999.
Over 20,000 villages were impacted, with the rising death toll recorded at 89. There were as high as 14 million people in the path of the cyclone who were affected in varying degrees.
Over 1.5 million people were evacuated from vulnerable districts housed in close to 9000 shelters in schools and government buildings. 5,000+ kitchens operated to serve people in these shelters. The damage caused to the physical property was severe, with 1000+ public health facilities, and 5700+ school buildings being damaged. Over 5 lakh houses were damaged and about 5600 km of roads were affected.
Our teams coordinated with local administration, on-ground partners and multi-stakeholder collaborations such as the Inter-Agency Group of Odisha for timely updates and insights on the needs on- ground. Immediate requirements on the ground included the following:
