Berhampur, Oct. 28: When Margaret Wahlstrom, special representative of UN secretary-general Ban Ki Moon for Disaster Risk Reduction, presented a citation to chief minister Naveen Patnaik for the effective handling of cyclone Phailin by the state government last year, it gave no reason for most of the villagers at Tarinipentha in Ganjam district to cheer.

The trauma continues for Kailash Pradhan, Arakhita Pradhan, Parsu Pradhan and many others at the village even 15 years after the devastating super cyclone ripped apart their dwellings and livelihood in October 1999. The house building assistance and other post-cyclone facilities already availed by more than 20 lakh people in Ganjam district are yet to reach these people.

Kailash Pradhan, 50, who works as an agriculture labourer and a mason lives at his six-feet wide house with his wife Pankaj and teenaged children — two sons and one daughter.

“My house was severely damaged during 1999 super cyclone and again during 2013 Phailin October last year. I am a below poverty line cardholder. But the state government has not provided me any house under Indira Awas Yojana. I have done the repairing work of the house on my own with much difficulty despite repeated approach in the panchayat office. Life has become tragic for my family,” Kailash said.

Arakhita Pradhan, 75, who lost his wife immediately after the super cyclone and at present is working as a labourer for his livelihood, is residing at a half-constructed house with his son.

“Under the Indira Awas Yojna, Rs 25,000 was sanctioned for building my house after the super cyclone. But I am yet to receive it. I am approaching the panchayat office for the past five years to get my money to build the house, but it has not resulted in anything. The employees at the panchayat office said they had disbursed the entire amount after they asked me to put my thumb impression on a paper,” Arakhita said.

Parsu Pradhan, 62, and his wife Kamala Pradhan, 58, who are landless had received Rs 1,900 from the district administration after their house was damaged during 1999 super cyclone. “We have been living in a dilapidated house since 1999. The Phailin last year worsened the situation,” said Parsu.

According to the report of the district administration, the cyclonic storm of “rare severity” hit Ganjam from the evening of October 17, 1999, and had continued unabated till the morning of October 18, 1999.

The catastrophe was precipitated and enlarged by the super cyclone on October 29 and 30, 1999, and concomitant heavy downpour. It caused colossal loss to public utilities, installation, communication, standing crops, trees, gardens, plantations, dwelling houses, human and animal lives.

The cyclone rendered more than three lakh people homeless and inflicted untold miseries on the people of the entire district.

The wind velocity was more than 250kmph. Over 3,162 villages in 444 panchayats under 22 blocks were affected in the cyclone. The loss of human lives alone was a staggering 197 and 402 were injured. The report mentioned that 2,869 bovine lives, 7,647 goats and sheep and 6,79,440 poultry birds were lost. While 78,000 houses damaged completely, 2,44,000 had partially collapsed.