THEDEVASTATING

HUDHUD

INTRODUCTION

The Hudhud cyclone will go down as the most devastating cyclone ever in the history of Vizag. This cyclone was not expected to have such a devastating and long lasting effect on the people of vizag. In a split second, Vizag was turned from the City of Destiny to the City of Doom. At the same time it taught the younger generation how their forefathers used to live. A life without fans , lights, electricity and most importantly- computer and TV. It was also a wake up call for the elder generation as well, it taught them an important lesson of being united in bad times.

Hudhud originated from a low pressure system that formed under the influence of an upper-air cyclonic circulation in the Andaman Sea on October 6.

The name of this relentless force has its name originated from Oman.

The Hudhud, or hoopoe bird, is an exotic creature noticed for its distinctive crown of feathers and is widespread in Europe, Asia and North Africa.

An international panel on tropical cyclones led by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a Geneva-based agency of the UN, sat down in 2004 and decided to name their cyclones as a committee in the spirit of co-operation and consensus.

Origin of the name

Hudhud in Arabic refers to the Hoopoe bird

Eight countries - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Sri Lanka and Thailand - took part. They came up with a list of 64 names- eight names from each country - for upcoming cyclones.

The list goes alphabetically, according to each country. The last cyclone in the region was Nanauk in June, a name contributed by Myanmar.

Visakhapatnam (nicknamed as Vizagand sometimes known by its historical name Waltair) is the largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India (after Chennai and Kolkata). It is a port city on the southeast coast of Bay of Bengal and often called as "The Jewel of the East Coast" and the "City of Destiny".

Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam bore the brunt of Hudhud, which hit its coast with a speed of 185 km/h (115 mph).

Hudhud crossed the coast of Andhra Pradesh at the noon of October 12 over Visakhapatnam, with winds exceeding 185 km/h (115 mph). As per initial reports, 3 people were killed due to heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds in coastal areas. Within hours of hitting the coast, the cyclone severed the radar link of Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre.

The high tides

Hudhud caused at least 46 deathswithin Andhra Pradesh. Total damagecosts are estimated to be at least70000 crore (US$11 billion). Thismakes Hudhud the most destructivecyclone to ever hit India and thesecond most destructive in the basinafter Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

A broken down bridge

With Hudhud slamming into the Vizag coast on Sunday morning, people faced anxious moments as their phones (both mobile and landline) went phut, cutting them off from their near and dear ones. By afternoon, when Hudhud made a landfall, most of the phone lines in the city either went dead or had only enough signal to send only SOS SMSes.

Problems faced by the people

The Home Ministry and State authorities of Odisha andAndhra Pradesh closely coordinated preparednessmeasures at this stage. On October 11, Around 400,000people in 397 villages in 5 districts along the coast wereordered to evacuate. The evacuees were shifted to 370relief camps.

State and central government’s action

Reportedly, thousands of members of theNational Disaster Response Force (NDRF) andState Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and thefire services, were sent to coastal areas toprepare for search and rescue operations andassist with evacuations. NDRF teams alsoorganized drinking water supplies, fooddistribution and provision of other basicamenities.

Navy chief Admiral RK Dhowan reviewed theeffect of cyclone Hudhud at the naval base inVisakhapatnam and said all efforts were made torestore its lost glory.

Laudable efforts of INS Dega in resuming airoperations in less than 24 hours of the calamityand ensuring availability of runway to facilitateairlifting of relief material to Visakhapatnam fromvarious parts of the country as also the earlyresumption of civil flight operations.

RESCUE OPERATIONS

POSITIVE EFFECTS OF HUDHUD

Though Hudhud had a devastating effect on the districts ofVisakhapatnam, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram, it hasbrought family members and friends closer on the positiveside.These are some of the extracts from a newspaperwhich clearly suggest that Hudhud reminded the people ofvizag, the need to be united:

For 80-year-old Sitadevi of Muralinagar, thememory of having dinner with her family membershas almost erased. She had been having her nightmeal all alone, as her son and working daughter-in-law would return home late in the night.“Today, after many years, we are once again havingour meal together. Most importantly, my 15-year-old granddaughter, who never joined me as shewould either be busy watching television or

Ch. Srinivas Rao has a similar story to narrate. They didn’t share that good a relationship with their neighbour for quite sometime. “But as the building started to shake due Hudhud, my neighbours were the first to alert us and even carry our two-year-old child to safety at the cellar. We are friends once again,” he said.

Sangita, a software professional, had mixed feelings when her estranged husband called up from Bangalore to enquire her well-being. “It was a ‘feel good moment’ at the time of crisis,” she said.

Mangroves and casuarinas plantations along thecoast and the thick tree cover on the hills used toprotect the city in the past from the vagaries ofcyclones

Cyclone shelters need to be maintained in a state ofreadiness.

Gram sabhas in villages can play a crucial role infacing calamities. If fallen trees could be clearedalong many lanes in the city within five days after thecyclone, the credit should go to self-help groupsand some NGOs. The government should, therefore,involve civil society as a part of any disastermanagement effort in the future.

CONCLUSION

Hudhud-This was nothing but the name of a birdbefore the 12th of October 2014 but after the12th ,this term became a symbol of destruction.Many people lost their lives, they died fightingthe brute force of the raging wind, they diedthe death of a martyr. People were in a state ofdespair, they lost all their hope and then therewas a ray of hope in the form of unity. People inthe Hudhud struck areas fought as one for theirsurvival which helped them overcome their stateof distress. Hudhud has been experienced bymany but desired by none. This situation thoughwas handled carefully by the Government ofIndia ,help was provided to people who needed itand to areas where it was a necessity. Finally

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B.Srihith 23P.Sai Saugandh 9Achyut 2Himanshu 5K.Sai Mohan 28G.Hemchand 34A. Nishant 40

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