Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Odisha recalls the devastating Super Cyclone in 1999 which created a Rufus in the state causing losses of lives and properties. The cyclone killed around 10,000 people and lots of properties were damaged. The entire state is still shocked by the distressing memories which affected places like Cuttack, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Khordha. Wind speed touched up to 260 kph during the cyclone and the speed remained the same for 36 hours. The state capital Bhubaneswar and its twin city Cuttack were completely devastated. All surface communications, telecommunications, proper supply, and water supply were totally disrupted for more than 48 hours even in the state capital.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also recalled the Super Cyclone, 1999. In his official Twitter account, he quoted- “ #Odisha has disproportionately faced the wrath pf nature and has come a long way in building resilience since the devastating #SuperCyclone of 1999. On #OdishaDisasterPreparednessDay , pledge to further strengthen our widely acclaimed disaster preparedness for a safer future.”
With a speed of 260-300 kph, it made landfall between Ersama and Balikuda in Jagatsinghpur district on October 29. After that, the storm slowly weakened and remained for two more days and on November 4 the storm dissipated over the Bay of Bengal. According to the reports, the official death toll was 9,885 people and unofficially it was estimated above 50,000. Further lakhs of properties were destroyed and around 7,505 people were injured and around 3,15,886 cattle heads were lost.
However, the 1999 super cyclone has helped the Odisha Government in better disaster preparedness and management. It has built over 200 cyclone shelters. The elite Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force regularly conducts mock drills to up its game, as the State is still a cyclone-prone area.
Pic courtesy – Google
