Cyclone Hudhud: PM Narendra Modi reviews relief and rescue operations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting this evening to review the status of relief and rescue operations in areas affected by Cyclone Hudhud. Prime Minister Modi shall be visiting Vizag tomorrow for a first-hand assessment of the situation there. He shall also take an aerial view of the affected parts of Odisha.

Prime Minister Modi was briefed on the extent of destruction, including the damage to infrastructure such as roads, railway lines, buildings, power and telecommunication lines.

He was also given an overview of the status of relief operations and steps taken to ensure supply of essential commodities including food, drinking water and fuel. The Prime Minister was informed that the extent of damage to standing crops shall be assessed over the next few days.

Prime Minister Modi instructed top officials of the Union Government to continue to work closely with the affected states to ensure that there are no bottlenecks in relief and rescue work. He also emphasized the need to document learnings from this cyclone and to put in place more precise drills and disaster management plans involving all stakeholders, especially in areas which are prone to such disasters.