Yukie Sakai

Puri, Oct. 12: For the last 24 hours Yukie Sakai, 25, has been praying to Lord Buddha so that there is minimal loss to life and property in Hudhud.

“I had lost one of my close relatives in the tsunami that struck my country in 2011. I know how natural calamities can disturb one’s life. I know the suffering that cyclone brings. I don’t want such fate to befall this pilgrim town, which is close to my heart,” said Sakai, a schoolteacher hailing from Hokaido in Japan.

Sakai, who arrived in Odisha two months ago, teaches Japanese at the Chandrasekhar Academy here.

However, Sakai and her 22 other friends, who are putting up at a hotel in Puri, are not scared of Hudhud.

“Looking at the waves, I can say the storm will not have much impact on the coast,” she said.

Sakai and some other Japanese tourists spent the last night on the rooftop of the hotel enjoying the environment.

Sakai told The Telegraph she came to know about the severe cyclonic storm after the school management declared that the institution would remain closed for a few days on account of the gale.

“The memories of tsunami flashed in my mind. For a few moments, I was scared but after reading about the likely impact of Hudhud on the Internet, I was assured that it was not going to cause much harm,” she said. However, she has not told her parents back home about Hudhud.

“ I am staying thousands of kilometers away from them. I don’t want to scare them,” she said adding that her comfort level has gone up after Puri district administration distributed life jackets to her and her friends.

“As a government servant, my father worked in the fire brigade. Since my childhood days, I know how to deal with emergency situations,” she said.

President of the Japan Friendship Centre S.K. Dash said: “We organised a small musical programme for the Japanese tourists so that they remain in a happy frame of mind. We have assured them that there is no need to panic. We also have assurance of help from ace diver, Sabir Bux in case of an emergency.”

But the sea has been rough not only in Puri town, but also in several other parts of the district, including Digabareni.

Sources said at certain places in Puri district, including Astranag, the sea has made inroads into the land mass breaching roads.

The district administration had shifted nearly 5,000 people to safer places.

“We have experienced Phailin last year and the supercyclone in 1999. Comparatively, Hudhud did not cause any major concern,” said Das.