Flood Fury: Thousands Still Stranded In Odisha

"I visited more than a dozen villages in worst hit Balasore district. It was a super flood. The government was not prepared. They don't have required food for the victims. There are places where not a single government official has reached," former water resources minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bijoy Mohapatra told IANS.

"Large number of people are living without food and water for the past three days," he said.

Hundreds of flood victims blocked roads, and staged angry demonstrations in some places of Mayurbhanj and Khurda districts to protest alleged irregularities in relief distribution.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reviewed the situation and ordered officials to book those involved in the loot of relief materials under the stringent National Security Act.

The very severe tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal which struck Saturday night near Gopalpur in Ganjam district has left a trail of destruction in the coastal districts of the state.

Although damage to properties was estimated at several crore rupees, the loss of humans was minimal compared to the 1999 super cyclone that claimed over 10,000 lives.

The toll from the latest cyclone and flooding rose to 28 as the government Wednesday confirmed two more deaths due to floods.

Worst cyclone affected districts are Ganjam, Puri, Gajapati, Khurda while the worst flood hit districts are Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, and Jajpur.

Pradeep Mohapatra, state Special Relief Commissioner, told IANS the government is yet to assess the cost of the damage caused by the disaster.

The state energy department said loss to power sector alone, according preliminary assessment, is about 900 crore.