Mahakalpara: Even as the landfall of Super Cyclone—very severe and category-5 tropical storm— that hit the Paradip coast in 1999 completes 20 years, misery still chases the local residents.
Notably, the calamity had devastated 14 districts including Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Paradip, Cuttack, Puri, Ganjam, Khurda and Nayagarh after making landfall, which had then taken a toll of 10,000 people and over two lakh cattle, a report said.
However, the cyclone-hit villagers in Mahakalpara shudder to recall their suffering today. The government’s succour did not reach them to mitigate their woes.
Mahakalpara resident Sudhir Mandal, 90, sheds tears with a heavy heart saying, “I lost five of my family members in the cyclone. I became helpless and am just passing my hard days.”
The Tentulikandha village in Kendrapara district, which is on the banks of river Mahanadi and close to the Bay, witnessed the death of 28 lives, Mandal adds. Fifteen-ft-high tidal waves that rose in the river entered the village and washed away 28 villagers, he lamented.
Sudhir Mandal had taken shelter on his thatched roof house along with 13 family members when the cyclonic storm wreaked havoc at about 9 am October 29.
Mandal saw his grandson Bubu, elder daughter Amee, younger daughter Anjali, elder son-in-law Banamali and in-law’s sister Jhili washed away in the tide in front of his eyes.
Floodwaters carried away Mandal and his wife Chhandarani who got stuck somewhere, 2 km away from their village and survived. His wife died 10 years after the cyclone.