AP hit by over 60 cyclones this century, the ones that unleashed the most havoc

AP hit by over 60 cyclones this century, the ones that unleashed the most havoc
AP hit by over 60 cyclones this century, the ones that unleashed the most havoc
Written by:

Sameera Ahmed | The News Minute | October 11, 2014 | 02:28 pm ISTCyclone Hudhud, approaching the eastern coast of India and named after the national bird of Israel, is expected to make landfall near Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. But for states like Andhra which has borne the brunt of a number of natural disasters ranging from cyclones, droughts and floods, the appearance of yet another cyclone has come dangerously close to becoming a yearly affair. The Hudhud will not range up to the scale of the force of Cyclone Phailin that struck the eastern coast in 2013 as while Phailin brought with it wind speeds of 210 kmph, Hudhud will bring with it upto 140 kmph winds, said the Indian Meteorological Department Director, according to Firstpost. The history of cyclones that have struck this state has been long and destructive, according to the data provided by the Government of Andhra Pradesh Revenue Disaster Management Department. The state has been characterized by “recurring natural disasters”, says the website. With over 60 cyclones hitting AP in this century, the incidence of such storms and cyclones have slowly and alarmingly increased making a common occurrence every two or three years.1. Cyclone PhailinThe most recent cyclone that created havoc, and fresh in the minds of most residents in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh was Cyclone Phailin, the second strongest storm to make landfall in India. The cyclone initiated the country’s largest evacuation in 23 years after over 550,000 people were moved from both Odisha and Andhra to safer areas.2. Cyclone NilamEven though cyclonic storm Nilam made landfall in Tamil Nadu in October, 2012, it had a more ghastly impact on neighbouring state, Andhra Pradesh. While 21 died in Tamil Nadu and damage hovered about 18.9 million, the destruction in AP was double that with 44 deaths and 37.8 million losses in damage. 3. Severe Cyclonic Storm - November 1977                                                                                                                                                        This was the deadliest storm to hit Andhra Pradesh taking with it the lives of about 10,000 people. Affecting the lives of 34 lakh people in the state, the ‘Severe Cyclonic Storm’ resulted in damages of 1014800 houses. While cattle and livestock losses were estimated at Rs. 172 crore, it was the most destructive storm that the state faced.4. Cyclone LailaThis severe cyclonic storm named after the Arabic word Laila meaning Night took the death toll to 36, while affecting neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The total estimated loss was about Rs. 1603 crore. One of the districts in the state, Addanki, received the highest rainfall of 522 mm in 24 hours. 5. Another cyclonic storm accompanied with flash floods that hit the AP coast was in December 2003. Resulting in the loss of 44 lives, the storm affected the lives of 102324 people and created a total damage of Rs. 765.92 crore in the state. The list is long and the damage has been recurring. The Andhra Pradesh website has put out a detailed, comprehensive list of the cyclones and floods that have affected the coast.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com