It is for the first time after the Super Cyclone of 1999 that the state has witnessed a cyclonic storm that has had such severe impact. After the cyclone,heavy to extreme rains caused flooding in the rivers Baitarani, Budhabalanga, Rushikulya, Subarnarekha and Jalaka, affecting the downstream areas in the districts of Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Kendrapada and Ganjam.

Administration collapse

All across the deluge and gale-affected districts there is clear evidence that the state administration is unable to provide relief to the 3.9 million people rendered homeless by Phailin that struck coastal areas on October 12; subsequently, many rivers breached their embankments and flooded over 1,600 villages.Thousands of homes have been destroyed. It is the rural poor who've lost their homes, farms, livestock and belongings. Now they're in critical need of food, clean water, shelter and medical care," said Rabindra Mohan Sahoo, a social worker of Puranabandha village in Ganjam district.