NEWS FLASH – Friday. 3 May, 2019
SUPER-CYCLONE FAN HITS OUR MANGRO PROJECT
Most of you will have heard of the super-cyclone that has hit Odisha, with Kendrapara District suffering the strongest winds and a tidal surge of three to four metres. There is very little news at the moment, and none so far of our MANGRO Project area, apart from the fact that one woman has lost her life, that winds have been over 200kph, and that there is serious flooding. All of the villages along the coast have been evacuated, with villagers taking refuge in cyclone shelters. Many of our MAANGRO Project participants are involved with the running of these shelters, helping to organise the evacuations, dealing with medical problems, and helping feed and provide for the thousands and thousands of people who must be worrying about what is happening to their homes and land. There is no power or communications in the area, so our only news so far has come through news networks.
We are hoping that the loss of life will be low. Many of the people in this area remember the super-cyclone of 1999 when 10,000 lost their lives, so they are understandably anxious, but the measures that have been taken over the past twenty years should dramatically reduce the impact. We are also hoping that our mangrove and other plantation will have withstood the wind and tidal surge, and helped to protect villages from the worst of the force.
We will try and update you as news comes through, and in the meantime keep our fingers crossed. For now, thank you for your concern, especially if you are one of MANGRO’s supporters.
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