Death toll climbs to 45, destruction huge

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said, “I was deeply saddened by the death of 45 persons in Cyclone Gaja. Rs 10 lakh would be provided to the family of the deceased along with Rs 1 lakh for severely injured and Rs 25,000 for persons who sustained minor injuries.”

Cyclone Gaja wreaked havoc in the delta districts when it made a landfall on Friday. Initially, it was thought that the cyclone did not pose serious threats to the lives and infrastructure, but however it was proved wrong as its aftermaths were more severe than assumed.

Initially, 82,000 persons were made to stay in relief camps but, as on Sunday, 2,49,083 persons were present in 493 relief camps. “Food, drinking water, mat, bed sheets and so on were provided to the inmates of the rescue camps. Nearly, 10 kg of rice, one dhoti, one saree and a litre of kerosene were provided to a family,” said Palaniswami, in an official statement.

A large number of huts and tiled-roof houses were also damaged in the cyclone. “Nearly, 56,942 huts were damaged completely, 30,404 huts were damaged partially and 30,328 tiled-roof houses were grounded,” said Palaniswami.

Apart from it, a large number of cattle and goats too died in the cyclone. “102 cattle and 633 goats died in the cyclone. Rs 30,000 would be given per dead cattle and Rs 3,000 would be given per dead goat, to the owners,” said the Chief Minister.

The worst affected in the cyclone were the trees and crops as 1,70,454 trees were uprooted. “The process of estimating the crop loss and the number of banana and coconut trees uprooted are undertaken by the officials. Once the estimate is done, the farmers will be compensated for their losses,” said Palaniswami.

The Chief Minister also said that the fisheries department is calculating the number of damaged boats and once the report is received the fishermen too would be given compensation based on their losses.