ERASAMA (JAGATSINGHPUR): The memories of the Black Friday - the 29th of October in 1999 - still remain painfully vivid for survivors of one of the worst natural calamities that the country has ever faced. It has been 25 years since the Super Cyclone ripped through the coastal districts of Odisha, but the wrath and fury of nature is still visible in the remnants that lie scattered across the Erasama block of Jagatsinghpur district, the epicentre of the tragedy.
For Radharani Mandal, it still feels like yesterday. At the doorway of her modest thatched house along Jatadhari riverbank in Dahibar village under Erasama block, the 52-year-old shivers whenever she recounts the night that took the lives of 27 of her loved ones and nearly swept her entire village away.
“We were an extended family of 35 members then, but only eight survived. I lost my husband, parents-in-law, five brothers-in-law, five sisters-in-law, eight nephews and six nieces. The entire six-member family of one of my brothers-in-law and their house vanished without a trace,” she said.
Radharani and her only son were, however, saved by providence as they had gone to her parents’ house at Nandhara in Balikuda block to observe Kumar Purnima on the fateful night. “When I reached the village five days after the cyclone, barring a coconut and a palm tree, there was absolutely nothing left,” she recalls.
Surrounded by Jatadhari River from three sides, Dahibar was the worst hit with the highest 587 people and hundreds of cattle perishing in the super cyclone. Less than 100 people who could take shelter on the roof of a single-storey building in the middle of the village survived as the calamity killed almost 90 per cent of its residents.
A memorial of the victims now stands in the centre of the village. Every year on October 29, the villagers assemble at the memorial, lit diya and pray for the departed souls.
Srimanta Das, then a grocery shopkeeper, says, “My family and some neighbours climbed on to the roof of our building, clutching each other for life. I saw people and cattle being swept away. Bodies were found atop trees and farm land for kilometres. We waited for two days, soaked and freezing, until the water receded. When we finally came down, there was nothing left,” he recounts.
The 1999 Odisha (then Orissa) Super Cyclone, designated as BOB 06 by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and 05B by the US-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) was the most intense recorded tropical cyclone in the North Indian Ocean. Packing winds of up to 260 kmph, it made the landfall along the Jagatsinghpur coast with a strong storm surge as high as seven metre claiming more than 9,885 lives, including 8,119 from the district alone and damaging property worth Rs 6,228 crore in 12 districts. The Super Cyclone of 1999 left an indelible mark on Odisha’s landscape and psyche.
Rebuilding life from scratch
Radharani’s life may have been irrevocably scarred by tragedy, but her journey reflects the resilience of a single mother. An ASHA worker now, she embodies the power of survival and the strength to give back to the society that inspires all to find courage in their own lives.
“I could have returned to my father’s place, but decided to stay back and join hands with those left to rebuild the community and village again. My son is now married and has two children. He ekes out a living from fish farming. Life goes on, but the pain never goes away. You will have to learn to live with it,” she says.
Santosh Ghadei also faced the daunting task of rebuilding his life. He was only 15 when he had lost seven members of his family, including his parents and two brothers. But slowly and with tremendous resolve, he began to piece together a new existence. Support from the state government’s relief and rehabilitation programmes helped him to sail through and build a new house. Subsequently, he took up agricultural work and shrimp farming. Now he is helping the community during the time of crisis.
Sociologist Prof Rita Roy, who visited the affected areas and researched on the survivors, underscored the powerful bonds that emerged from the crisis. “The cyclone showed the importance of community ties. People had to rebuild not only their homes but their sense of belonging and purpose,” she said.
Turning the page
The Super Cyclone was a turning point in Odisha’s approach to disaster mitigation. With Naveen Patnaik-led BJD-BJP alliance government coming to power a year after the cyclone, tackling natural disasters became a top priority. The state government overhauled its disaster management policy and established Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), then a first-of-its-kind agency in the country besides renaming the Revenue department as Revenue and Disaster Management department.
Over the next two-and-half decades, Odisha etched its place as a role model in disaster mitigation, earning global acclaim for its preparedness. It not only put in place a chain of infrastructure and services like multipurpose cyclone shelters, rapid response apparatus and streamlined protocols but also focused on minimizing human casualty. ‘Mission Zero Casualty’ became a catchphrase that has since saved countless lives in the wave of cyclones and floods, year after year.
Housing and livelihood still a concern
However, at ground zero, the after effects of the Super Cyclone still persist. Housing and livelihood continue to be a concern for the people in the seaside villages of Erasama block. Apart from paddy cultivation and fishing activities, they have no alternative option for a living.
As the Super Cyclone survivors still struggle to cope with the situation amid constant fear of nature's fury in the coastal villages, Radharani wished if the residents could have cyclone resilient houses. Though she had got a house under IAY then, it is not in a good condition now and the single-room house lacks space for the family of five. “My son stays there and I stay in a thatched house alongside. I had applied for a house under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) a few years back, but it has not been sanctioned yet. Officials said the chance is remote as we as a family had got a house post Super Cyclone,” she said.
Bindubala Giri (64) of Nagari village, about five km from Dahibar, expressed similar concerns. “My husband and I survived, but we lost our three sons and 11 others in our extended family. We also lost the ex-gratia of 2.5 lakh we had received then to a chit fund company a few years back,” she recalled with her eyes welling up. “We have no agricultural land and we are living on the pension amount of Rs 1,000 a month. We both are suffering from multiple diseases. The pucca house we were provided then is in dilapidated condition. The roof is leaking during rains,” she said.
The cyclone had destroyed at least 15 lakh houses in the affected districts. Most of the houses constructed under the government housing schemes then with a meagre amount of Rs 30,000 are either damaged or in dilapidated condition. Though people are demanding new houses, the district administration has been denying them as they are already shown as beneficiaries.
Most of the cyclone shelters constructed in the aftermath of the storm are also in very bad shape. While some have developed cracks in the ceiling resulting in seepage, the doors and windows have been damaged in others due to lack of maintenance. People are unwilling to take shelter during cyclones or floods due to lack of proper toilets, water and sanitation facilities.
Erasama BDO Dasarathi Jena admitted that some of the houses and cyclone shelters constructed two decades ago are in need of repair. “The houses were allotted as per the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC), 2011. As decided by the state government, a fresh survey of houses will be conducted soon. We will report about the condition of houses and the government will take a decision whether the beneficiaries can be reallocated houses,” he said.
Basic infrastructure eludes the cyclone-affected
The state may now be cited as a model in disaster preparedness, but coastal villages ravaged in the Super Cyclone in Erasama continue to struggle without basic infrastructure. Essential amenities like all-weather roads, bridges, and effective drainage systems remain largely absent in these seaside habitations.
Villages like Dahibar, Baghadia, Padmapur, Japa and Ramtara are connected to the mainland by narrow, muddy paths that turn treacherous during the rainy season. Emergency medical services and transport are also severely hampered by the poor road conditions.
Locals have continuously petitioned the district administration emphasising the need for accessible roads and bridges that are critical for both economic and social stability.
A local, Bhima Charan Manna said though a bridge was promised to be built five years back on Jatadhari river that separates Ambiki from Dahibar, it is yet to see the light of the day. “We are forced to cross the river by country boat, endangering our lives. Every rainy season, we find ourselves trapped,” he said.