153 000 ha (378 000 acres) of crops damaged or destroyed by Cyclone Fani, India

An estimated 152 985 ha (378 034 acres) of crops were damaged or destroyed across Odisha, India during the passage of Tropical Cyclone "Fani" on May 3, 2019. 

Information and Public Relations Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh said less than 33% crop loss has been reported in the cyclone-affected districts across Odisha.

Of the total crop damage, 36 898 ha (91 176 acres) are irrigated and 72 786 ha (179 858 acres) are rain-fed.

Singh added that 12 277 ha (30 337 acres) perennial crops have been affected due to the cyclone.

A joint verification is underway in the affected districts to assess the crop loss.

The state capital Bhubaneswar and the entire Puri district continue to reel under its impact as it would take a few more days to fully restore power supply, telecom connectivity and banking and ATM networks in these areas, The Times of India reports.

While cautioning people of the hardships ahead, the government said May 9 that power connections are yet to be restored for around 70% of the consumers in Bhubaneswar, though water supply has been fully restored.

Fani damaged about 63 063 hectares (155 832 acres) of crops in Bangladesh. The worst affected crops include paddy, maize, vegetables and jute.

Agriculture Minister said 13 631 farmers in 25 districts suffered losses, more than half of the country, adding that government is providing seeds, fertilizer and cash.

Fani made landfall close to the city of Puri, Odisha between 02:30 – 04:30 UTC on Friday, May 3, 2019 as Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm with winds between 180 – 190 km/h (112 – 118 mph) and gusts to 200 km/h (124 mph).

This made it a Category 3 hurricane equivalent on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. 

Featured image credit: TOI/Twitter