Kolkata: About 29,500 houses in 24 blocks and 79 municipal wards, mostly in the south coastal areas of West Bengal, were partially or completely damaged by Cyclone Remal, a state government official said on Monday.
Besides, more than 2,140 trees were uprooted and around 1,700 electric poles were uprooted in various parts of the state, he said.
Initial assessments suggest that 27,000 of the damaged houses sustained partial damage, while 2,500 were completely destroyed. The official cautions that these figures are subject to change as assessment, data collection and damage estimates are still ongoing.
"The figures will probably change as the assessment process is still not complete. Data is being collected from the districts and loss estimates are being calculated," the official said.
He said the administration has shifted 2,07,060 people to 1,438 safe shelters, currently 77,288 people are there.
"In total, 341 porridge kitchens are being operated at present. We have distributed 17,738 tarpaulins to the affected people in the coastal and low-lying areas," he said.
The affected areas include Kakdweep, Namkhana, Sagard Island, Diamond Harbor Fraserganj, Bakkhali and Mandarmani.
He said there were minor cracks in the embankments due to the cyclone and they were immediately repaired.
"There has been no major report of embankment breach so far. Whatever reports came were minor and were immediately rectified," he said.
Six people – one in Kolkata, two women in South 24 Parganas district, one in Panihati in North 24 Parganas district and a father-son duo in Memari in East Medinipur – lost their lives due to the cyclone.
Coastal areas bore the brunt of Cyclone Remal's wrath, with significant infrastructure damage reported in both West Bengal and neighboring Bangladesh, where winds reached speeds of up to 135 km/h.
Besides, more than 2,140 trees were uprooted and around 1,700 electric poles were uprooted in various parts of the state, he said.
Initial assessments suggest that 27,000 of the damaged houses sustained partial damage, while 2,500 were completely destroyed. The official cautions that these figures are subject to change as assessment, data collection and damage estimates are still ongoing.
"The figures will probably change as the assessment process is still not complete. Data is being collected from the districts and loss estimates are being calculated," the official said.
He said the administration has shifted 2,07,060 people to 1,438 safe shelters, currently 77,288 people are there.
"In total, 341 porridge kitchens are being operated at present. We have distributed 17,738 tarpaulins to the affected people in the coastal and low-lying areas," he said.
The affected areas include Kakdweep, Namkhana, Sagard Island, Diamond Harbor Fraserganj, Bakkhali and Mandarmani.
He said there were minor cracks in the embankments due to the cyclone and they were immediately repaired.
"There has been no major report of embankment breach so far. Whatever reports came were minor and were immediately rectified," he said.
Six people – one in Kolkata, two women in South 24 Parganas district, one in Panihati in North 24 Parganas district and a father-son duo in Memari in East Medinipur – lost their lives due to the cyclone.
Coastal areas bore the brunt of Cyclone Remal's wrath, with significant infrastructure damage reported in both West Bengal and neighboring Bangladesh, where winds reached speeds of up to 135 km/h.
