(Top) Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force personnel clear a road in Malkangiri and (above) Sapuanadi (a small tributary) overflowing at Andaposara Road in Berhampur. Pictures by Ratnakar Dash & Gopal Krishna Reddy

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 13: Many parts of south Odisha have plunged into darkness after cyclone Hudhud passed through the districts last night.

“The cyclone, that blew through southern districts at a speed of 100km per hour, uprooted trees and damaged electric poles and wires, As a result, power supply has been disrupted in southern districts,” said energy secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra.

Nandapur and Pottangi areas of Koraput district and cut-off areas of Malkangiri district have been worst hit.

“Repair works are going on on a war footing. We hope to restore power supply in more than 90 per cent of the areas by today evening,” chief minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters after reviewing the extent of damage caused by the cyclone and the progress of ongoing restoration works.

Districts such as Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagada, Nowrangpur and Malkangiri suffered maximum damage. Many trees have been uprooted and extensive damage to electric poles have been reported from Gajapati, Koraput and Malkangiri districts.

“We have to restore power supply to hospitals, district collector’s office and pump houses on a priority basis. Efforts are on to repair the damaged rural feeders by tomorrow, ” said the energy secretary.

Traffic was also badly affected by the uprooted trees. Roads in Gajapati district suffered maximum damage,” said special relief commissioner P.K. Mohapatra, who is supervising the relief and restoration operation in the state.

“Since by-election to Kandhamal is due on October 15, efforts are on to repair roads in the area so that polling officials can arrive smoothly,” he said.

However, timely evacuation by the state government helped to avoid maximum damage. Three people have died so far in Odisha, said the special relief commissioner.

Over 2.33 lakh people, mostly from tribal districts were shifted to 2,029 relief centres.

According to the preliminary reports, 25,000 houses have been damaged in Koraput, 15,000 in Gajapati, 7,000 in Rayagada and 1,000 in Malkangiri district. Not only the tribal districts, but also villages in Puri, Kendrapara and other districts have suffered damage due to the tidal surge.

The famous Ramachandi temple and the Puri-Konark marine drive has also borne the brunt of cyclone. In the meantime, a new mouth of Chilka Lake has opened up, posing threat to adjacent villages.

Another worry for the administration is the flood threat due to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment of Mahanadi, Subarnarekha, Brahmani, and Budhabalanga basins.

The chief minister has directed officials to keep vigil on the impending flood situation.