Bhubaneswar: In 1999, exactly 23 years back on today’s date the Super cyclonic storm had hit and devastated Odisha. The Super Cyclone made landfall in Paradip around noon on October 29, 1999.
It was among the worst natural disasters in India in which nearly 10,000 people were killed, according to official estimates while more than 3.5 lakh houses were destroyed, several villages were completely washed away, more than two lakh animals were killed and 25 lakh people were marooned.
The 1999 super cyclone was the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the North Indian Ocean by pressure with sustained winds at the time in the Bay of Bengal.
ବଙ୍ଗୋପସାଗର ଇତିହାସ ରେ ସବୁଠାରୁ ଶକ୍ତିଶାଳୀ ବାତ୍ୟା ଭାବେ ସ୍ଥଳ ଭାଗ ଛୁଇଁଥିବା ବାତ୍ୟା ହେଉଛି 23 ବର୍ଷ ପୂର୍ବେ, 1999 ର ଓଡିଶା ମହାବାତ୍ୟା, ଏହା ଆଜିର ଦିନରେ ଅର୍ଥାତ, 29 ଅକ୍ଟୋବର 1999 ରେ ଓଡିଶା ଉପକୂଳକୁ ପାରାଦ୍ୱୀପ ନିକଟରେ ଛୁଇଁ ଥିଲା l pic.twitter.com/FpiRAkHsOm
— Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar (@mcbbsr) October 29, 2022
The Government of India declared a national disaster in the aftermath of the cyclone, though international appeals were initially unanticipated. The destruction wrought by the cyclone was expected to cause a six-month-long total loss of normal livelihood. Damage sustained to various sanitation infrastructure led to a heightened risk of communicable disease outbreaks, indeed, diarrhea and cholera saw increased incidences following the storm’s impact. Within a month of the cyclone’s landfall, the Odisha state government reported 22,296 cases of diarrhea disorders.
The area’s vulnerability to disease was also compounded by a lack of pre-storm vaccinations, raising fears of a potential measles outbreak. The outbreak of diseases caused by the storm’s effects stabilized by February 2000. For most locations, the initial loss of telecommunication and rail operation was restored within a few days.
Ms Kalinga