The people in several villages have not forgotten the Super Cyclone nightmare as yet despite passage of 21 years. The cyclone that had ravaged the State in 1999 took 387 lives in Kendrapada district.
As many as 1,308 villages across nine blocks besides two urban local bodies in the district had borne the nature’s fury. The State Government provided Rs 44 crore as exgratia and for rehabilitation work after the cyclone.
For octogenarian tribal widow , Parbati Kisko, a resident of Panikhia under Lanjuda GP of Mahakalapada block, the trauma of losing four members of her family, including husband, daughter and two grand children , is still afflicting her when she reminisces that fateful day.“The storm blew away everything at a stroke.
I was witness to the tragedy that unfolded right before my eyes. Our village located near the sea under Gogua GP faced the onslaught straightaway. Everything was over in a few minutes. My husband, daughter met watery grave following 8 feet long tidal wave swept away all my family members when they were trying to ride on the roof top. I survived as I luckily was already on the roof top,” said Parbati.
As many as 12 people had died in her Gram panchayat in the cyclone. Similarly, for Rajaram Pal and Malati Patra of Sandhakuda slum, life has come to a full circle after the 1999 gale. While Rajaram lost his 8 family members, including father ,mother , siblings ,wife and his two children following the tidal wave came crashing and swept all his family members, his eldest son was rescued in nick of time while he was drowning.
Similarly, Malati had also lost all his six family members, including husband, two sons and a daughter , in the catastrophe. The death of her husband and kins followed by a struggle for survival had left her to fend for herself.
After the cyclone, Rajaram failed to take care of his eldest son. As a result the villagers of Sandhakuda managed to unite the widower Rajaram with the widow Malati by solemnising their marriage.
Tiding over adversities, the couple is now leading an easy life with their children these days. Every year on October 29, their faces turn pale and hearts grow heavy when they pay tribute to their lost family members .
Another Super Cyclone victim, Tapaswini Senapati (37) of Tentulikanda village under Barkanda GP of Mahakalapada block recounting the fateful night stated with tearful eyes, she lost her uncle, aunt and her sister in the catastrophe. The tidal water had swept away her family members .
"As we have a building so the villagers came to take shelter. Suspecting the building would collapse due to the crowd, I, my sister, my uncle's daughter, uncle, aunt and four others came out from the house in order to go to other safer place in the village. But as ill luck would have it, the tidal water swept away my uncle, aunt and my sister. I and my uncle's daughter managed to hold tamarind tree branches and managed to spend more than 24 hours by drinking the gale water.
We spent time with poisonous snakes," said Tapaswini, who has been eking out a living by operating a betel shop at her village.
Similarly, Kalandi Hati, a resident of Tentulikanda remembering the dreaded night stated that he had lost his father,mother, elder brother, elder sister-in-law and a nephew in the gale as the sea water barged into the house and swept away all the family members.
Notably, 27 people had died in Barkanda gram panchayat due to the super storm.