The destruction caused by Cyclone Fani in Puri district (Dhiraj Singh/Getty Images)

On May 3, 14 districts of Odisha were hit by Cyclone Fani. With winds of 175-185 kmph and heavy rainfall, this was the worst cyclone the state had witnessed in the past 20 years. In anticipation of its landfall, 1,160,529 people were evacuated and relocated to relief camps. As per reports, 64 people died and the lives of over 16 million people were severely affected by the cyclone. There was also a breakdown of road and electricity infrastructure. The state capital, Bhubaneswar, its airport, the temple town of Puri and Cuttack experienced power breakdowns. Over 500,000 houses were damaged, there was significant loss to the livelihoods of fishing and agricultural communities and thousands of trees were uprooted. As many as 5,244 primary schools, 547 secondary schools, 107 residential schools and 180 higher education institutions suffered damage to property.

The Care Today Fund proposes to rebuild the lives of the affected communities by providing initial relief, rebuilding community infrastructure, houses and livelihoods of the poor.

The Care Today Fund was established by the India Today Group in 1999 to provide a platform to those who want to contribute to causes they are concerned about. Since then, the Care Today Fund has supported many communities affected by disasters. Today, we are once again stepping in to galvanise support from all concerned citizens to reach out to the cyclone-affected communities in a meaningful way. We sincerely appeal for your donations.