Winds of change

October 29 marks 25 years since the devastating 1999 Super Cyclone. RAMANI RANJAN MOHAPATRA reflects on Odisha's journey from ruin to resilience, now recognised globally as a model in disaster management

- RAMANI RANJAN MOHAPATRA

As another October rolled around, another cyclone hit Odisha's coast along the Bay of Bengal. Although the latest, named Dana, was relatively moderate, the lessons from the 1999 Super Cyclone—one of the deadliest in the region—ensured zero casualty and minimal disruption to livelihoods.

Back in 1999, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) detected a low-pressure system on October 24. In five days, a severe cyclonic storm—then called BOB 06—made landfall near Paradip in Jagatsinghpur, wielding 250 kmph winds and pushing a 20-foot surge of seawater into the land.

The Super Cyclone devastated Odisha, claiming 9,885 lives (with unofficial estimates even higher) and leaving millions without homes. A humanitarian crisis unfolded and public frustration grew over the state government's muddled response, and this led to a political shift: The Biju Janata Dal, helmed by Naveen Patnaik, in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, swept into power, displacing the Congress which remains out of power in Odisha to date.

The IMD had issued multiple cyclone warnings, but concerns around the Super Cyclone's severity largely went unheeded as both public and administration then considered it just another common storm in a region prone to cyclonic activity. The tragedy laid bare serious gaps in disaster preparedness: Inadequate location-specific landfall warnings, sparse resources, and virtually no communication strategy.

Fast forward 25 years, the cyclone management system has gone through a sea change, recognized as an "Odisha success story" that the United Nations lauded as a "global example" in 2013 and 2014.

This year, the IMD first signaled a cyclone threat on October 19, predicting a storm that would intensify and likely hit Odisha's coast by October 24. In the next few hours, the Odisha government swung into action, alerting coastal district administrations and preparing cyclone shelters to evacuate residents.