Calamity-Hit Odisha’s Tryst With Fridays

The developing weather systems in the Bay of Bengal have not been generous to Odisha, especially when heading towards the coast just before weekend sets in. Fridays have particularly been bad for Odisha and a peek into the past reveals that for some strange reason, three major cyclones, from very severe to super cyclonic storms, have made landfall on Fridays.

Here’s looking back at those Fridays:

2019: The very severe super cyclonic storm ‘Fani’, which has caused extensive damage to the coastal belt of Odisha, made landfall south of Puri town on Friday, May 3.

While large-scaled relocation of people helped minimise the loss of lives, the cyclone paralysed power and telecommunication networks and has virtually eliminated Bhubaneswar’s green cover.

1999: A deep depression which was building up in the Bay area gradually morphed into a deadly storm and converted into a supercyclone as it approached the shores. It caused catastrophic damage as it made landfall close to Paradip at noon on October 29, a Friday. Odisha is yet to recover from its effect. An estimated 10,000 people lost their lives.

1971: A very severe cyclonic storm had crossed the Odisha coast near Paradip on the evening of October 29, again a Friday and caused extensive damage to the coastal belt, especially in Jagatsinghpur district. According to the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority figures, that cyclone, too, claimed over 10,000 lives.