Over 100 kilometres from the coast, the villages in interior Ganjam district
thought they would escape Cyclone Phailin. But the high speed winds and heavy rainfall destroyed their houses.

“We never thought the cyclone would affect us. In 1999 too, we did not face any problems. For the first time, I saw such high speed winds. The torrential rain made it worse,” said Khadala Nayak, naib sarpanch of Inginati village in Belaguntha block. At least four other villages in the block have been affected.