Montha affected people in 33 blocks, 11 ULBs

Bhubaneswar: Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari recalled the 1999 super cyclone that hit Odisha on October 29 and left around 10,000 people dead. “We are encountering a cyclone situation on October 29, 2025, but there has been no report of any human casualty so far,” the minister said, adding that the cyclone preparedness measures were made remembering the 1999 super cyclone.

Pujari, however, said there have been reports of house collapse, tree falling, landslide and damage of roads and others. He said cyclone Montha has impacted people in 33 blocks and 11 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Odisha. A total of 2,198 pregnant women were shifted to safer locations as part of the State’s evacuation efforts, he added.

Pujari said the government opened 362 free kitchens where cooked food was provided to 18,762 people staying at the cyclone centres. The minister said there is also no fear of rains as the amount of rainfall was less than 200 mm. Gosani block in Gajapati district recorded the highest rainfall of around 150 mm followed by Patrapur in Ganjam at 117.4 mm, while 56 other blocks experienced rainfall ranging between 50 mm and 100 mm.

While stating that wind speed was manageable, the minister said a few places in Ganjam, Gajapati, Balasore and some other districts experienced power outage, which was restored within hours due to pre-planning and preparations. Roads blocked by uprooted trees were also immediately cleared. A total of 33 ODRAF, 5 NDRF and 13 Fire Services teams were deployed for rescue and restoration work, he said.

Pujari, however, said Odisha will remain on high alert till October 31 as the rain warning continues. “Damage assessment of crop, houses, roads and other public infrastructure will begin from tomorrow,” he said, adding that there are reports of damage to paddy, cotton and vegetable crops.

The affected people will be provided assistance as per the norm directly to their bank accounts. Polythene sheets have been distributed to households whose walls were damaged in the calamity, the minister said. He said normalcy will be restored across the State by October 31.