SIPAKUDA (PURI): Suchitra Behera has not yet recovered from the shock of devastation that cyclonic storm Fani unleased at her village Sipakuda on the banks of Chilika lake. With her house damaged, she and her family of three have taken shelter in the village club. Having lost everything, they now stare at a bleak future. Her family depends on fishing but they have not been able to trace their boat since May 3. Though relief has reached them, it is meagre.
Sipakuda is a sight of devastation. It is one of the worst-hit coastal villages, nearly 14 km south of Puri coast where as per IMD the near super cyclone possibly had made its landfall.Recounting the horror of the black Friday, a resident Digambar Jena said the intensity of the wind was so high that the boats anchored along the coast flew like papers and a couple of those were later found resting on the top of casuarina trees.
Of around 350 houses, nearly 320 have been either damaged or flattened. The village having a population of around 1200 lives at the mercy of nature as frequent sea surge is proving disastrous for them for the last several years now.
“Everything was okay till a decade ago. We have been bearing the brunt after one mouth of Chilika was opened as salinity of the lake declined. Since the village is close to the lake, we need one sea embankment that might save us from the frequent sea ingression,” said Pradipta Jena, another villager.
Though they have a cyclone shelter in the middle of the village where they had taken refuge during the storm it is not in livable condition. Besides, without water and toilet, the building is too small to accommodate all. Since many residents are landless, they are deprived of housing aid under the Government’s housing scheme. The Government should now think of constructing disaster-resilient homes as we are becoming victims of cyclone and sea surge often, Jena added.
Close to Sipakuda is another village Baghamunda which too is badly damaged. More then 70 per cent houses in the village have been damaged. Only the pucca houses have withstood the storm. Roads connecting the villages are still splattered with uprooted trees and hanging electric wires make it difficult to navigate through the habitations. People are busy demolishing their houses which are in unsafe condition after the cyclone.
Several villages along the coast in Brahmagiri block took a battering. Almost all of them are littered with damaged houses, with roofs collapsed or missing altogether. Fishermen community have been adversely affected as their boats are either missing or damaged.
Many coconut trees have fallen and a few that remain have fronds twisted. A number of cashew nut and Polanga orchards, which were only source of income for many, have been destroyed. People have lost livelihood and the rural economy has crumbled which may take a decade to revive.
“I have lost property worth over `50 lakh. A cashewnut orchard of 12 acre has been destroyed, our ITI building with built up area of 8000 sq feet collapsed and a school partially damaged. The loss is enormous,” said Kelu Charan Jena, former sarpanch of Satapada panchayat.