Bhubaneswar: The Osisha government Friday urged its Kerala counterpart to provide necessary support in terms of food, drinking water to the people from the state taking shelter at a flood ravaged place.
The state government’s action came soon after it received an SOS message from one Anil Sethi, who informed that about 130 people from Odisha have taken shelter in a house at Aluva Munnar Road, Odapally, Near Asha Munnar Post Office.
“I would, therefore, request you to kindly make necessary arrangement for providing support in terms of food, drinking water and other necessities to the above mentioned flood affected people Odisha,” the state’s Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi wrote in a letter to Kerala’s Additional Chief Secretary-Disaster Management PH Kurian. Sethi informed that they were not even able to get food and drinking water for immediate sustenance.
When contacted over phone, Anil Sethi said, “We are now staying in a safe place. But, there is no food and a drop of safe water to drink. Therefore, I appeal the state government to make arrangement for our survival. Some police officials of Kerala came to us this evening and now they have provided us some snacks to eat.” Anil thanked the state government for hearing the problems faced by the Odisha people in the flood affected Kerala.
Meanwhile, the state government has opened helpline numbers 1070 (toll free) and 0674-2534177 at the office of SRC to coordinate help for the flood affected people in Kerala.
STATE ASSESSMENT
The government Friday asked the district collectors to conduct a survey to assess the damage to properties in the rain-affected areas of the state.
Special Relief Commissioner asked the district administrations of south Odisha to assess the damage caused by the low-pressure induced rain in the last couple of days. Several parts of south Odisha received the maximum rain, damaging private and government property. “Since there is an improvement in the weather condition, the SRC has asked the district administrations to conduct a damage assessment in the rain-affected areas,” said deputy SRC Pravat Ranjan Mohapatra.
Six persons died during the rain havoc in the state, said a report from the SRC office.
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