Bhubaneswar: On this day five years back, Odisha experienced one of the most devastating natural calamities – a severe cyclone named Fani which brought life to a complete halt.
Its impact was so devastating and so overwhelming that the state capital Bhubaneswar and Jagannath Dham Puri caught national attention as victims of natural disaster. The extremely severe cyclonic storm claimed many lives and caused substantial damage to infrastructure, including houses, power lines, agricultural fields, communication networks and water supply systems. Power and communication lines snapped. The airport in the state capital of Bhubaneswar remained closed and over 100 trains were cancelled as residents were advised to stay indoors.
Here’s a recount of the spine-chilling calamity which struck Odisha on May 3, 2019, at a wind speed of 200 kmph.
On this day, cyclone Fani made landfall at around 8 am in Puri. It was the worst tropical cyclone to strike the state after the 1999 supercyclone that had killed nearly 10,000 people.
As per the state government data, Fani had caused a loss of an estimated Rs 9,336.26 crore in the State. The cyclonic storm devastated as many as 20,367 villages in 14 coastal districts of Odisha. Besides, the cyclone affected 1.6 crore people and damaged 1.88 lakh hectares of agricultural land.
Angul, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Puri, Nayagarh, Khurdha, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur were among the districts affected by the cyclone. However, Puri district bore the maximum brunt of the extremely severe cyclone.
For most of the people of Puri district, the aftermath was worst. Both semi-urban and rural areas the district plunged into darkness for as many as 15 days. The drinking water supply was also badly affected. The damage to the infrastructure in Puri was huge.
The entire power infrastructure in Puri district was devastated in the cyclone which damaged 75 towers of 220 KV and 25 towers of 132 KV.
Left to fend for themselves, residents of several villages in Puri district were seen flagging down trucks and cars passing by, in the hope of getting some relief supplies.
Besides, the cyclone had wreaked havoc on the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people in Puri’s nut-growing belt, stretching from Satsankh to Sakshigopal. The seafront in Puri too wore a forlorn look, with all the hotels closed.
Quoting the final damage assessment report, the then Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) BP Sethi had said, “A total of 5,56,761 houses have either been fully or severely or partially damaged in the cyclone while 64 people lost their lives. Twelve persons received grievous injuries and the cyclone killed 2,650 large animals, 3,631 small animals and 53,26,905 poultry birds.”
