'Yaas' is now a popular baby name in Odisha
As the Odisha administration battled Cyclone Yaas, which ripped through the state causing widespread destruction, at least 750 births were registered in 10 districts of the state, with some families rushing to name their newborns after the menacing storm, officials said. Several of these children were born on Tuesday night when the cyclonic storm was approaching the country's eastern coast.
Couldn't have thought of a better name: Balasore resident
On the other hand, there are others who saw the light of the world around the time when Yaas made its landfall near Bahanaga, 50 km south of the Balasore district. Sonali Maiti, a resident of the Parakhi area in Balasore, said she couldn't have thought of a better name than Yaas for his boy, whose birth marked the advent of the cyclone.
Another woman also named her newborn girl after the storm
Similarly, Saraswati Bairagi from Kendrapara district said she named her newborn girl after the storm, as that way everyone would remember the time of her arrival. "I am extremely happy about the fact that my child came to the world on a day that would be remembered by one and all. I have named her Yaas," Bairagi added.
Name 'Yaas' was an addition by Oman
Similar reports also arrived from other parts of the state, the officials noted. Yaas got its name from Oman. The word is said to have originated from the Persian language and means Jasmine in English.
Pregnant women were shifted to delivery centers and local hospitals
"Many women, who happened to be in the last leg of their pregnancy, were moved to Maa Gruha (delivery centers) and other local hospitals," the government had stated. "A handful of them gave birth in the multi-purpose shelter homes, where they were shifted, with aid from Anganwadi and ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers," the officials said.
'Many pregnant women were reluctant to move to hospitals'
Sweet Suman Sahu, an Anganwadi supervisor attached to Basudevpur community health center, said, "Many pregnant women were reluctant to move to hospitals. One such expectant was from Kalidaspur whose delivery date was May 30." "It took a lot of persuasion to shift her to the hospital. She gave birth to a boy on May 26, four days ahead of schedule," she said.
Birth reports came from around 10 districts of Odisha
An official statement issued by the Women and Child Development department said birth reports came from as many as 10 districts Balasore (58), Bhaddrak (98), Cuttack (61), Jagatsinghpur (84), Jajpur (69), Keonjhar (55), Mayurbhanj (36), Kendrapara (166), Khurda (95) and Puri (10).
