What is Cyclone HudHud?
It is the strongest tropical cyclone of 2014 and worst disaster in 2014.
Hudhud originated from a low pressure that formed under the influence of
an upper-air cyclonic circulation in the Andaman Sea and intensified into a
cyclonic storm. Hudhud underwent rapid deepening in the following days and was
classified as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm. Shortly before landfall near
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India on October 12, Hudhud reached its peak strength
with three minute wind speeds of 194 km/h and a minimum central
pressure of 960 mbar (28.35 inHg).
Why it is named as Hudhud?
Names of Cyclones, hurricanes and natural calamities, always puzzle us with their name. Who comes with different names and why they are named in that way.
Hudhud is a colorful bird found across Afro-Eurasia. It is the Arabic name of Hoopoe bird, which is the national bird of Israel.
So question is still there - The cyclone itself originated in the north Andaman Sea in the Bay of Bengal then what is relation between Hudhud bird with that.
An international panel (Eight countries - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Sri Lanka and Thailand) on tropical cyclones led by the WMO decided and named their cyclones in the spirit of co-operation and consensus. They came up with a list of 64 names- eight names from each country - for upcoming cyclones.
So as per alphabetical order, it is Oman’s turn and is termed as Hudhud.
Last year, Phailin, the name for a massive cyclone was provided by Thailand. Next time a cyclone hits the region, it's Pakistan's turn to give it a name and it will be called Nilofar.
Names of Cyclones, hurricanes and natural calamities, always puzzle us with their name. Who comes with different names and why they are named in that way.
Hudhud is a colorful bird found across Afro-Eurasia. It is the Arabic name of Hoopoe bird, which is the national bird of Israel.
So question is still there - The cyclone itself originated in the north Andaman Sea in the Bay of Bengal then what is relation between Hudhud bird with that.
An international panel (Eight countries - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Sri Lanka and Thailand) on tropical cyclones led by the WMO decided and named their cyclones in the spirit of co-operation and consensus. They came up with a list of 64 names- eight names from each country - for upcoming cyclones.
So as per alphabetical order, it is Oman’s turn and is termed as Hudhud.
Last year, Phailin, the name for a massive cyclone was provided by Thailand. Next time a cyclone hits the region, it's Pakistan's turn to give it a name and it will be called Nilofar.
HudHud Strom Path and Timeline
The
cyclone itself originated in the north Andaman sea in the Bay of Bengal and is
now hurtling towards Andhra Pradesh and Orissa states. The system
drifted northwards over land and was last noted as a well-marked low pressure
area over east Uttar Pradesh on October 14.
Affected areas & Damage
Most affected states
are Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
Cyclone has killed 24 people and roughly 400,000
people are affected. The residents of Visakhapatnam have been
reeling under a crisis as electricity and daily need items like milk were not
available and communication network had virtually collapsed. Most parts of coastal
areas are plunged into darkness as thousands of trees were uprooted and fell on
transmission lines causing power disruptions and transportation issues. Also Heavy rains
have been forecast in six states.
Relief and Rescue
Rescue and relief operations in the cyclone-hit areas are already in
progress.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said the
exact financial loss caused by Cyclone Hudhud is yet to be calculated even as
initial estimates indicate that it can go up to Rs 70,000 crore. He literally warned
mobile service providers to fix communication lines and expects services to
resume immediately.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited the port city and announced an
interim assistance of Rs 1,000 crore to take up immediate relief works. He also
announced Rs two lakh to the next of kin of those killed in the cyclone and Rs
50,000 to the injured.
The state, post-bifurcation, is in the process of rebuilding. It is time
to reestablish the infrastructure and bring back life to normalcy. We all should come forward and support
government in its initiatives.
Salute to brave people who faced this bad phase and I am sure, very
soon, everything will be in place and in a better way.
