Odisha is likely to face a fresh cyclone later this week. Now, everybody is watching hourly bulletins from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Senior IMD officials said a clear picture will emerge only after a low pressure forms over south Andaman Sea and its neighbourhood around May 6. Odisha has faced the wrath of cyclones almost every year. The list of these natural disasters is certainly long. The Super cyclone of 1999 is still the deadliest of the lot.
Here is a list of the cyclones that hit Odisha since Super Cyclone 1999
1. 1999 Super Cyclone: The Super Cyclone that hit Odisha on October 29, 1999 is by far the most devastating one. Over 10,000 people had lost their lives. Large areas along the coastline were inundated. The cyclone destroyed or caused mayhem to lives and properties in the coastal districts such as Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda and Ganjam.
2. Cyclone Phailin: It was a strong cyclone that hit the state in 2013. It made landfall near Gopalpur in Ganjam district. It destroyed power supply, communication and transport systems massively. Around 14,514 villages in 12 south and coastal districts were affected. Majorly affected districts in Odisha were Ganjam, Puri and Khordha.
3. Cyclone Hudhud: This cyclone made a landfall in east coast of Vishakhapatnam on October 12, 2014. The cyclone had severely affected many parts of Odisha. Hudhud caused heavy to extremely heavy rainfall with strong gale winds leading to large scale structural damage over North Andhra Pradesh and adjoining districts of South Odisha coast. According to media and government reports, 22 people were killed and over 248,00 people in 320 villages were affected.
4. Cyclone Titli: In the second week of October, 2018, cyclonic storm “Titli” made landfall in south west coast of Gopalpur near Palasa in Andhra Pradesh. In all, eight districts in Odisha such as Ganjam, Gajapati, Khordha, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore were affected by the cyclone. It had caused extensive damage as it unexpectedly changed its course and entered Gajapati district. Cyclone 'Titli' triggered heavy to very heavy rainfall in Ganjam, Gajapati and Puri districts. Over 60 persons were killed by Titli and the subsequent flooding and landslides.
5. Cyclone Fani: The extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani hit Odisha coast in Puri on May 3, 2019 with a wind speed of around 175 kmph. The extent of damage due to Fani was estimated to be over Rs 11,942 crore. The cyclone caused massive destruction to forests and environment. According to government sources, Fani had killed 64 people and affected 140,000 hectare crop area.
6 Cyclone Bulbul: It was the second cyclone in 2019. Though it made landfall near Sagar Island in West Bengal as a very Severe Cyclonic Storm on November 9, it caused extensive damage to agriculture in Odisha.
7. Cyclone Amphan: Cyclone Amphan barrelled along the Odisha coast before making landfall near Sunderbans in West Bengal in May 2020. Cyclone Amphan was the costliest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the North Indian Ocean and strongest cyclone ever since the 1999 Super Cyclone. It had affected at least 44.45 lakh people in 9833 villages and 22 urban bodies.
8. Cyclone Yaas: Cyclone Yaas made a landfall on May 26, 2021 in Odisha at Dhamra and south of Haldia in West Bengal. Around 60 lakh people in 11,000 villages were affected while the natural disaster caused loss to the tune of Rs 610 crore.
9 Cyclone Gulab: The landfall process of Cyclone Gulab, the first post-monsoon cyclone, started at around 6pm of September 26, 2021. The system had crossed coasts between Kalingapatnam and Gopalpur. It was a tropical cyclone and was named by Pakistan. It affected coastal areas of south Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh.
10. Cyclone Jawad: In December 2021, Odisha was spared from the wrath of Cyclone Jawad after it weakened before striking the coast. The coastal districts of Odisha received heavy rainfall as the remnants of cyclone Jawad reached Puri coast before taking a re-curve in north-northeast direction and reaching Paradip.