As I anxiously looked up news of cyclone Titli across Orissa
and Andhra Pradesh (AP) (eight people dead in AP so far), I happened to read of the super cylcone that had struck Orissa
back in 1999. The 16–20 ft surge brought water up to
35 km inland, carrying along with it coastal debris and
inundating towns and villages. 1.6 MILLION homes were damaged. Estimates of the people dead ranged from 10,000 to 30,000. The storm surge killed the most people followed by torrential rain. 2.5 million people were marooned and nearly half a million livestock casualties were reported. In total, 13 million people were affected by the storm.
Stations in Paradip and Bhubaneswar each recorded sustained winds of 150 km/h before their instruments failed. The strong winds damaged electric lines and uprooted trees over 50 years old in Puri and Kendrapada. Downed power lines across the state cut off communications between Odisha and the rest of the world for over 24 hours and caused widespread power outages. Due to severe damage to air traffic control infrastructure, the Biju Patnaik International Airport was closed until 2 November, curtailing relief operations.
Twelve districts of Odisha suffered severe damage, reporting complete breakdown of essential services. Over 70% of homes were destroyed across the seven worst affected districts. Some 11,000 schools were significantly damaged or destroyed. All major district roads in the area were either washed out or blocked by felled trees. In Bhubaneswar, 60% of trees were flattened by the winds and rain. aerial surveys revealed that the entire city was submerged by floodwaters. Thousands of people suffered chemical burns after the flooding mixed industrial chemicals into bathing ponds.
The destruction wrought by the cyclone was expected to cause a six-month-long total loss of normal livelihood. The Odisha Government made appeals to various non-governmental organizations as the government's relief supplies only covered 40% of affected areas.
Stations in Paradip and Bhubaneswar each recorded sustained winds of 150 km/h before their instruments failed. The strong winds damaged electric lines and uprooted trees over 50 years old in Puri and Kendrapada. Downed power lines across the state cut off communications between Odisha and the rest of the world for over 24 hours and caused widespread power outages. Due to severe damage to air traffic control infrastructure, the Biju Patnaik International Airport was closed until 2 November, curtailing relief operations.
Twelve districts of Odisha suffered severe damage, reporting complete breakdown of essential services. Over 70% of homes were destroyed across the seven worst affected districts. Some 11,000 schools were significantly damaged or destroyed. All major district roads in the area were either washed out or blocked by felled trees. In Bhubaneswar, 60% of trees were flattened by the winds and rain. aerial surveys revealed that the entire city was submerged by floodwaters. Thousands of people suffered chemical burns after the flooding mixed industrial chemicals into bathing ponds.
The destruction wrought by the cyclone was expected to cause a six-month-long total loss of normal livelihood. The Odisha Government made appeals to various non-governmental organizations as the government's relief supplies only covered 40% of affected areas.
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