On the morning of October 29, 1999, the coastal village of Ersama in Odisha awoke to a grey sky that quickly turned black. The winds howled with a force no one had experienced before. Within hours, the super cyclone—later clocked at wind speeds exceeding 260 km/h—unleashed unprecedented destruction across Odisha, with Ersama at its epicenter.
More than two decades later, the name “Ersama” still evokes a deep sense of tragedy and resilience. What unfolded over those 72 hours left a permanent scar on the land and its people. But what followed in the years after was a story of determination, of survival against odds, and of a community’s will to rise from ruin.
The Day the Wind Never Stopped
For many in Ersama, the memories of the cyclone are as vivid today as they were in 1999. Kalpana Rout, then a 17-year-old girl, recalls clinging to a palm tree for more than six hours as the wind tore through her village.
The 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone, classified as a Category 5 storm, killed more than 10,000 people, with unofficial estimates putting the number higher. In Ersama alone, more than 7,000 people perished. Thousands of children were orphaned, entire families were wiped out, and the coastline was rendered unrecognizable.
Power and communication lines collapsed, roads were washed away, and it took several days for the outside world to grasp the true scale of the disaster. Relief efforts were hampered by inaccessible terrain, and survivors were forced to drink contaminated water and survive on minimal food for days.
A Broken System Exposed
The cyclone exposed glaring gaps in India’s disaster preparedness at the time. Early warning systems were rudimentary. There was little to no preemptive evacuation, and cyclone shelters were virtually nonexistent. Relief materials, when they arrived, often did so haphazardly.
The state government struggled to respond. In Ersama, many bodies remained unburied for days, decomposing in the open. Aid workers and journalists reported scenes of absolute desolation. Bureaucratic red tape delayed crucial supplies. For many, the sense of abandonment was as painful as the storm itself.
But this catastrophe also forced change. The Indian government, learning from its shortcomings, began to prioritize disaster preparedness. The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), formed in the aftermath, became the first such authority in India. Cyclone shelters were constructed. Evacuation drills became routine. A network of community volunteers was trained to respond quickly to natural disasters.
The Long Road to Recovery
Rebuilding Ersama was never just about reconstructing homes. It was about restoring livelihoods, healing psychological wounds, and reinforcing a population traumatized by loss.
International and national NGOs played a key role in early recovery. Organizations like the Red Cross and Oxfam assisted with housing, sanitation, and trauma counseling. The Indian Army and Navy executed some of the earliest rescues, bringing medical aid and food to isolated pockets.
Over the years, the Odisha government invested in “build back better” strategies. Houses were redesigned to withstand high-speed winds. Mangrove plantations were promoted as a natural buffer against storm surges. Fishing communities received boats and nets through cooperative schemes, and agriculture was revived through seed banks and irrigation support.
Ersama, once a symbol of helplessness, began to transform into a model of disaster resilience.
Listening to the Coast: The Climate Alarm
Scientists studying the 1999 cyclone see it not just as an isolated incident but part of a broader, disturbing trend. Climate change has made extreme weather events more intense and frequent. Warmer sea surface temperatures in the Bay of Bengal provide the perfect conditions for super cyclones.
According to Dr. Anil Mishra, a climate scientist based in Bhubaneswar:
Since 1999, Odisha has faced several cyclonic storms, including Cyclone Phailin (2013), Fani (2019), and Yaas (2021). However, the difference now lies in preparedness. During Cyclone Phailin, the government successfully evacuated over one million people. The death toll: fewer than 50.
It’s a remarkable turnaround, born from hard lessons learned in Ersama and surrounding districts.
Survivors as First Responders
Today, many of the survivors have become frontline defenders. People like Kalpana Rout, once a cyclone victim, now lead local disaster awareness campaigns. She trains young girls in first aid, teaches emergency preparedness in schools, and coordinates with block-level authorities to ensure evacuation drills are conducted regularly.
Ersama’s youth, some of whom were born after the cyclone, grow up with stories of resilience and rebirth. The community celebrates October 29 as both a day of mourning and a day of resolve.
From Ground Zero to Ground Breakers
In many ways, Ersama has gone from ground zero to being a groundbreaker. It has inspired other coastal states in India and even other countries in South Asia to adopt Odisha’s disaster management model.
However, challenges remain. Climate change continues to threaten fragile coastlines. Migratory pressures, loss of traditional livelihoods, and the strain of repeated cyclones test the limits of infrastructure and morale.
But the people of Ersama endure. Their journey—from the horror of 1999 to the stability of today—is not just a tale of survival but a blueprint for resilience in an era of escalating climate emergencies.
Conclusion
“Ersama: Remembering the Cyclone, Rebuilding the Coast” is more than a tribute—it is a reminder. A reminder that the winds may return, but so will the will to stand again. What began as tragedy in this coastal village has become a global lesson in how communities, when empowered and supported, can not only survive but rebuild stronger than before.
The scars remain—but so do the shelters, the systems, and the stories of courage etched into the heart of Ersama.
