JAGATSINGHPUR: Hours after a wall of sea surge swept through Hatiapal, the seaside settlement under Ersama block, Babuli Bhuiyan’s wife Kunilata gave birth to a baby boy at a coastal shelter. The boy was called ‘Pralaya’ (catastrophe) as he survived the 1999 Super Cyclone that had devoured more than 250 villagers after making landfall between Ersama and Balikuda.
Twenty years later, Pralay finds life hard. “My parents were lucky to have moved out of our house and take cover in the shelter home where I was born. But it is extremely difficult to survive the current living condition. There is no employment and our village still does not have basic facilities,” said Pralaya, who works as a helper for a truck that delivers shrimps in Paradip and Jagatsinghpur towns.
Hundreds of families that survived the Super Cyclone in the worst-hit Ersama block of Jagatsinghpur district are today struggling to make ends meet. At least 8,000 people died in Jagatsinghpur district, the majority in Ersama.There is no piped water supply in the village and people still depend on unclean sources for drinking water. Besides, there is no pucca road in Hatiapal.
Banya Brahma was also born on October 29, 1999 at Purbapada village under the block. Banya and her mother Rita survived the calamity but her father Jhadu Brahma was swept away. Rita brought up Banya with much difficulty as she also lost her home and livestock to the Super Cyclone. “Till today, we do not have a fixed source of income and we are yet to get any assistance from the State Government,” Banya said.
Rajaram shares his birthday with Pralaya and Banya. His family of Sandhakuda village lost the fishing boat, their only source of income, to the disaster. Officials concerned had assured the family to compensate the loss but 20 years have passed and the promise is yet to be fulfilled. Today, Rajaram maintains his family by running a small shop in the seaside village which is still without a cyclone shelter.