Footfalls from any part of the 480 km plus coastline of Odisha till date send many off their beds as the month of October blinks on the calendar of Odisha.

October! Why? History has it that many oceanic invasions from the Bay of Bengal have a repeated fury, as almost all the cyclones, either big or small, including the ferocious 1999 Super Cyclone, ripped apart the fabrics of almost 14 districts, with Jagatsinghpur as the epicenter. Only a few traces of the history of the past remain buried under carpets of the dead—those assessed to be around 10,000 people, with lakhs of livestock splintered all over like one of the largest graveyards in the state.

This is yet again October, and there is a palpable unease calm in the air; slow to medium winds are on the increase, and a dead silence reigns—like a precursor to the October 29 afternoon of 1999.

Going by the recent forecast by the IMD, this month (October 2024), a deep depression passing through the Andaman Sea might cause havoc in many parts of coastal Odisha, although the experts are still short of the final indication of the imminent danger.

Let’s imagine the night after 28 hours following the Super Cyclone hit Odisha in October 1999, when we were sheltered in a three-room government office in Erasama, where even the sound of pouring water into the mouth from the bottle almost resonated in the air.

The next morning was misty and indeed mystifying when we encountered more heart-rending scenes of the dance of death for over 36 hours.

The disturbing calmness of the month of October has, in the last few years, loomed over the Odisha coastline as the most ominous month.

As per the official statement, over 10,000 people had reportedly died, and there was no count of cattle and other domestic stock that turned the areas into immeasurable carpets of bodies everywhere.

In fact, the spell of danger descended on the state of Odisha on October 17, 1999, when a cyclone of lesser intensity hit parts of Ganjam district, although that was not so cataclysmic.

But the then meteorological experts failed to assess that the October 17, 1999 incident was a precursor for the October 29, 1999 catastrophe that lasted over 36 hours, pounding anything that came its way.

An Ominous Recall:

It was during October 26-30, 1971, that the state’s major coastal fringe in Kendrapara district experienced one of the devastating cyclones that completely swept away five coastal villages, leaving only one village, Satavaya, which still hangs in balance. The people of the village spent almost each night in fear of being swept by the Bay of Bengal.

In October 2014, Cyclone Hud-Hud affected Andhra Pradesh and a few coastal fringes of Odisha. However, the impact was more serious in Andhra, which experienced wind speeds of 185 km/h, creating extensive damage in that state.

However, the footfall of Cyclone Phailin in 2013 on October 10 was a more ominous sign, intensifying into a severe cyclonic storm that made landfall in Gopalpur, Odisha. Starting around 3 pm, the storm unleashed a devastating fury, and the wind speed crossed about 215 km/h, causing heavy damage in Berhampur and Chhatrapur near Gopalpur. However, it subsequently weakened after a brief spell of hurricane-like fury.

And today, in October 2024, nature is again out with a frightening murmur about devastation in the making. The experience of the past has taught people to brave such calamities, and this time too, all have geared up to face the fury.

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