Discovery's documentary, Listen to the Sea, brings forth stories of struggle amid the damage caused by Cyclone Fani in Odisha

Discovery’s new venture, Listen to the Sea, sheds light on one of the country’s greatest calamities, Cyclone Fani, taking a deep dive into critical 48 hours before the landfall of extremely severe cyclonic storm, which threatened widespread damage to life and property in Odisha.

While the property, especially critical infrastructure like power, telecom, roads — both national highways, state highways and rural — were severely damaged, Indian’s meteorological department’s (IMD) pinpoint accuracy in predicting the time, path and severity of the cyclone, helped immensely in saving lives.  The government activated the disaster management program, leveraging the 48-hour notice by IMD, and evacuated more than 1 million people to safety. Listen to The Sea is a story of hope as Odisha triumphed over this sever cyclone through its gallant efforts.

“We cannot control natural disasters and catastrophes but after the devastation caused by super cyclone in 1999, our aim was to make sure that as much as possible, no human life should be lost henceforth in such disasters. In a state which has almost 500 kilometers of coastline, one should listen to the sea,” said, Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha. “Cyclone Fani was a test of our preparedness. I would like to take this moment to highlight the efforts of all those who stepped in — over 45,000 volunteers who worked alongside the government officials to help in the evacuation process. It is due to this combined effort that Odisha successfully conducted Asia’s largest evacuation before Cyclone Fani by getting more than a million people to safety.”

Megha Tata, managing director, South Asia, Discovery, said, “This is not a documentary about a cyclone that threatened to ravage a state. It is a story of human will and what it can do in the face of abject disaster. This two-part documentary series is a story of Odisha’s resilience.”

(The series launches on June 20 on Discovery & Discovery HD Channel at 9 pm. Viewers can download Discovery Plus app to stream the show on June 23.)