Surviving Fani

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   Cyclone Fani (pronounced Foni) left parts of Odisha badly devastated. It is considered the second worst cyclone to hit the region, with wind speeds reaching around 200 km/h. While the rest of the country was caught up with the government’s achievements in evacuating people and minimising loss of life and how relief funds of over ₹1000 crore poured in, nobody knew how bad the situation on the ground really was. The streets everywhere were scattered with fallen trees and electric/telephone poles. The rural communities were growing impatient as some villages saw no relief whatsoever from the government for over 8 days. Villagers face a shortage of food and water and have been surviving on whatever they had stocked up on before the cyclone. Majority of the rural population now reside in cyclone shelters and schools as their homes and belongings have been destroyed.  There have been protests where villagers have blocked highways and flagged down vehicles passing by with the hope that they could offer them some food or water. Reports of relief trucks being ransacked have also surfaced from a few areas. 

Entire habitats of fauna such as spotted deer, jackals, monitor lizards, etc. have been totally destroyed and there is virtually no tree cover left in the affected areas to find shelter under the harsh sun.