When Cyclone Montha struck the eastern coast on October 28, 2025, it repeated a grim pattern familiar to Odisha and its neighbours—flattening fields, flooding villages, and sending thousands into shelters. Making landfall between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh with winds of 100-110 kmph, the storm swept inland through southern Odisha’s Ganjam, Rayagada and Koraput districts and parts of Telangana before weakening into a depression.

Early reports suggest extensive crop and horticultural losses across the region. The swift evacuation of thousands once again demonstrated Odisha’s preparedness, but the greater challenge now lies ahead—protecting livelihoods after the storm.

Odisha’s vulnerability to tropical cyclones is structural, not accidental. Its 575-k

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