A fierce Kal Baisakhi (Nor’wester) struck Malkangiri district on Thursday afternoon, unleashing nature’s fury in minutes and leaving behind a trail of destruction across rural and urban areas.
Eyewitnesses described how dark clouds suddenly gathered from the south, followed by gale-force winds and torrential rain. The storm’s intense power turned everyday structures into wreckage: tin and asbestos roofs were ripped off and hurled like paper sheets, mud houses collapsed, and massive trees were uprooted, crashing onto homes and blocking roads.
Several villages and the Malkangiri town area bore the brunt, including Tandaki, Titiberi, Akarpali, Chalan Guda, and surrounding pockets in the Sadar block. Hundreds of houses suffered severe damage—many completely roofless—leaving families exposed to the elements. In numerous cases, fallen trees smashed through rooftops, reducing homes to rubble.
Power infrastructure took a heavy hit as electric poles snapped and wires dangled dangerously, plunging the entire town and the affected villages into darkness. Major roads became impassable due to fallen trees and debris. Fire services personnel immediately swung into action, clearing blocked roads and removing uprooted trees.
Residents, many of whom are daily wagers and farmers, now stand under open skies with whatever belongings they could salvage. The suddenness of the storm caught people off guard, turning a normal afternoon into chaos.
District administration teams have begun assessing the extent of damage for relief and compensation. No casualties have been reported so far, but the economic loss for the agrarian region is expected to be significant.
Kalbaisakhi, the pre-monsoon thunderstorm common in eastern India, once again reminded everyone of nature’s unpredictable might.
