On 17-18 October 1999, 5 districts of the State of Orissa in India were hit by a cyclone, and on 29 October another, exceptionally strong cyclone ("supercyclone") devastated a large portion of the State. This second cyclone caused severe damage in 14 of the 30 districts of Orissa (5 being hit for the second time (See map 1). It is estimated that up to 15 million people (more than 2 million households) are seriously affected by the cyclone one way or another. The official number of deaths is reported to be nearly 10,000 and many more are feared to have died.