Bhubaneswar: Restoration after the damage caused by cyclone FANI in Odisha needs Rs 29,315 crore, said the Damage, Loss and Needs Assessment (DLNA) Report released by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat here today.

The infrastructure sectors were the hardest hit and constitute about 42% of the total needs and the social sectors which include housing, constitute 36% of the total needs. The report estimates the total damage and loss in the cyclone to be Rs 24,176 crore.

Speaking on the occasion, Patnaik said, "The damage assessment report would provide a way forward to recovery of the state from the cyclone as well as develop a better preparedness strategy for the future. We invite the international agencies, national NGOs, the private sector and the civil society to come forward and join in the recovery and reconstruction efforts to rebuild Odisha."

FANI, which hit the coast of Odisha on May 3, this year, was one of the rarest of rare summer cyclones. It caused extensive damage and impacted life and property of more than 1.65 crore people in 14 districts of Odisha.

Post cyclone, the Government of Odisha, under the guidance of Government of India and in collaboration with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the United Nations undertook the Damage, Loss and Needs Assessment (DLNA) to support the cyclone recovery process.

The assessment was spanned over a period of 20 days comprising of a team of more than 100 multi-sectoral experts from the World Bank, ADB and various agencies of the United Nations along with officials from several departments of the State Government, local NGOs and eminent experts.