Cyclone Hudhud on the horizon, India gets ready

On Thursday, Hudhud was situated about 700km southeast of Gopalpur in Orissa and east-southeast of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. It currently has wind speeds of about 90-100kmph, moving west-northwestward towards the coast. By Friday afternoon, it is expected to gain speeds of up to 150kmph, transforming from a ‘severe’ to a ‘very severe’ cyclonic storm and remain so on Saturday and Sunday before crossing the northern coast near Visakhapatnam. The cyclone is expected to dissipate over the next two days.

What will happen?

According to IMD, Hudhud will result in “heavy to very heavy” rainfall in southern Orissa and northern Andhra Pradesh. East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam districts in Andhra Pradesh can expect rainfall in excess of 24 cm. The sea will be rough from Saturday morning with a surge of about 1-2 m, inundating low-lying areas of East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam districts. The result: Extensive damage to “kutcha” houses; partial disruption of power and communication lines; minor disruption of rail and road traffic.

What is the govt doing?

Centre: NDRF has placed almost 5,000 personnel based in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Bihar on high alert. Six rescue teams have been deployed in four districts in Andhra — Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Vijaynagaram and East Godavari. Nine teams will cover Orissa – in Ganjam, Khurda, Gajpatti, Cuttack, Puri and Balasore. Also being deployed are 162 boats, and 54 deep diving sets.

Orissa: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has urged Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley to ensure IAF support for rescue and relief operations “as and when required”.

Andhra Pradesh: Collectors of coastal districts have been asked to put in place measures to prevent fatalities and damage to property. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has put off a scheduled visit to the district on Friday.

What’s Oman got to do with it?

Hudhud in Arabic refers to the Hoopoe, a bird that has mythical connotations in the Middle East. The name was contributed by Oman to a list of names for cyclonic storms in the region. Eight countries — Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand — contributed a set of eight names each. Of the 64 names, Hudhud stands at No 37. Five names from India have been used and the sixth ‘Megh’ is marked at No 42.

Remember Phailin?

Last October, another “very severe” cyclonic storm Phailin swung towards the eastern coast at around 200 kmph, wreaking havoc in the coastal districts of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh — particularly Ganjam and Srikakulam. With the administration rising up to the challenge, the loss of life was relatively low at 36 but over 12 mn people were affected by the devastation.

(Inputs: ENS & Agencies)