Bhubaneswar, Oct 29 (IANS) Natural disasters kill about 1,300 people every year in Orissa, said a report released here Thursday on the 10th anniversary of the super cyclone in which over 8,000 lives were lost.
Prepared by the Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA), the report was released by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

According to the report, natural disasters have taken the lives of over 50,000 people in a span of 38 years (1970-2007). The disasters include cyclones, floods, lightning, heat wave, fire, epidemics and droughts.

Among the natural disasters, the worst killers are floods, tropical cyclones, fire and health hazards. They claim about 88 percent of the total lives lost to disasters, it said.

The report uses Disaster Risk Index (DRI) to measure the risk and vulnerability to disasters. About 10 percent of the state’s total population is exposed to these disasters every year, it added.