Post-Hudhud, relief efforts in A.P., Odisha

• The Andhra Pradesh government, with the support of the Army, the Navy, the National Disaster Response Force and other authorities, swung into action to provide relief to over 2,80,000 people in 44 mandals in four districts of north Andhra Pradesh affected by Cyclone Hudhud that crossed the coast, claiming 21 lives.
• Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reached the city to oversee the operations. The cyclone, which made landfall here, was a 400-km-long system that wreaked havoc across the four districts. Fifteen lives were lost in Visakhapatnam district, five in Vizianagaram and one in Srikakulam. 
• Over 6,695 houses and 5,727 electric poles and transformers were damaged in the four districts. Nineteen tanks and canals breached their banks in Vizianagaram district.
• The focus of restoration was Visakhapatnam city, which has a large number of industrial establishments, apart from being the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command. The 12 NDRF teams deployed in the district have been systematically cutting the fallen trees and clearing the National Highway and main thoroughfares in the city. Power distribution companies have deployed over 5,000 employees, apart from hiring 1,000 people to work on restoring power supply.