Srikakulam spared, loss pegged at Rs 28 crore: Coastal AP seems unfazed

Srikakulam: Though a 140-kmph storm roared through early on Friday, Srikakulam district was largely spared by cyclone Fani on Friday. There was no loss of human life though reports said cattle had perished and crops and trees were affected. Officials estimated the loss at Rs 38.43 crore and expect it to reach Rs 41 crore

Much of the damage in the area had been caused by cyclone Titli last year, officials said. The storm on October 11 last year had uprooted weak trees and brought down old buildings. Cyclone Titli had made landfall in the district, while it was on the outer edges of cyclone Fani.

Besides, officials said, Fani moved past the district quickly. The earlier estimate said that the cyclone would stay in the region for seven hours. In the event, it entered the Srikakulam region at 1 am and crossed Itchapuram at around 6 am.

In the first four hours, the wind speed was recorded at 120 kmph. While leaving the Srikalulam coast, the wind speed reached 140 kmph between 5 am and 6 am. Officials expected that there would be 25 cm of rainfall but the district received 19 cm. The impact of cyclone Fani was noticed in four mandals. About 162 villages sustained damaged in mandals of Itchapuram, Kaviti, Kachili and Mandasa.

The wind picked up late on Thursday and strengthened as the night wore on and intensified towards dawn. The rain continued till the morning and eased off as the cyclone moved away. The villages were in left in the dark all night as power was shut down as a precautionary measure. Locals seemed unfazed, and were confident that cyclone Fani would be easier than Titli.