Rural women and disaster: an ethnographic account of their experiences of cyclone ‘Fani’

The present paper aims to unveil the experience of rural women in a disaster cycle. The paper contains the ethnographic accounts of the women affected by cyclone 'Fani', which hit the coasts of Odisha on 3rd May 2019. The study concentrated on the village 'Kaliakera' of Puri, Odisha and spanned three months just after the cyclone. Adopting an exploratory design with an intersectionality approach, the study covered 60 women respondents drawn through stratified sampling from diverse caste groups. With an emic perspective and ethnographic tools, the accounts of these women have been captured. The study concluded that risk perception is low among women, reducing their disaster preparedness ability. Family members' concerns and decisions played a crucial role in the disaster preparedness of women. Low disaster preparedness makes risk management difficult for them during and after a disaster. Livelihood, health and food insecurities were the most common risk encountered by rural women. Past experience with disaster, caste dynamics, and socio-economic conditions affect women's effective handling of the disaster. Understanding rural women's experiences can help devise targeted interventions at the community level for a sustainable and resilient recovery in the post-disaster period.