LIVE TV
Odisha
Recommended Stories
Puri: When the holy dham witnessed an act of sacrilege by the extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani that battered and bruised Puri with its trail of devastation of unimaginable nature, the real epicentre of Fani's destructive spirit was all discernible in Satpada, the spot where cyclone Fani made landfall.
Just like the 1999 Super Cyclone, despite severe adverse situations, OTV managed to capture the seven hours of Fani fury from the ground zero as its team which camped in Satpada to bring live coverage of the cyclone watched the ferocity from close quarters.
As the cyclone inched closer to Puri coast, it lashed Satpada with fierce winds gusting up to more than 200 kmph. Be it tall trees, electric poles, transformers, or even water tanks, everything were seen falling like nine pins before the sheer force of the cyclone.
The usual calm waters of Chilika lake too roared and crossed all barriers. Not only one or two, the cyclone continued to pummel the entire area for seven long hours as the OTV team continued to bring live updates from Satpada Panthanivas.
Local fishermen who witnessed their boats having been destroyed by the cyclone, now are staring at an uncertain future and narrated their horrific experience. “This cyclone was more severe than Phailin,” said a fisherman adding that he had never seen such a devastating cyclone in his lifetime.
Finally, when wrath of Fani subsided, the gory scenes of devastation became quite glaring.
As the OTV team embarked from Satpada to Brahmagiri, it witnessed how the entire stretch bore marks of destruction unplugged. Uprooted trees, poles, snapped wires, and scattered pieces of blown away roofs seen all around.
As the team slowly wade their way through blocked roads by clearing the trees, it witnessed spine chilling scenes.
A woman trying to take shelter under a makeshift cabin had been killed after it caved down on her. Moving ahead the team saw scenes reminiscent of the 99 Super Cyclone-a farmland had turned into a mass graveyard of innumerable buffaloes.
From Brahmagiri to Puri, the tales of destruction were also quite similar. But much to the surprise, the administration was not found nimble footed. For which, OTV team took nearly 11 long hours to traverse only 48-km stretch between Satpada and Puri.
