Thousands of people converged in Visakhapatnam on Sunday and took part in a half marathon organised to salute the spirit of people who showed strength during Cyclone Hudhud.
Cyclone Hudhud had slammed into the coast of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha last month, killing 41 people and tearing down tens of thousands of mud-and-thatch homes, and flattening rice, banana and sugarcane plantations.
While the death toll was being reported as 38 in Andhra Pradesh, officials in Odisha said the number of people who had died there was unchanged at three. Authorities are still struggling to restore power, transport and communication links.
Meanwhile, the half-marathon, organised by the navy, celebrated the courage of people who rose above the storm and returned to normal lives.
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Satish Soni said that the half marathon marked the spirit of Visakhapatnam, known to locals as Vizag.
"The navy has organised this half marathon to celebrate the spirit of Vizag, to salute the people of Vizag who have risen above the storm, who have risen above the Hudhud and it is in their honour to celebrate that we are running this half marathon," said Soni.
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Visakhapatnam, home to two million people and a major naval base, was hammered as the cyclone made landfall, unleashing the huge destructive force it had sucked up from the warm waters of the Bay of Bengal.
The funds generated from the run will be used for rehabilitation work and a part of it will also go to an orphanage.
"This run is for a social cause. It's to build unity among people and it is to show that Vizag rocks despite Hudhud and this goes towards 'Sankalp', an orphanage, some part of it and thank you navy, thank you for giving us this opportunity," said a winner in five-kilometre walk Madhuri.
The marathon was categorized under 20 km run, 10 km run and five km walk.