6 years of Hudhud: Looking back at the day that had left Vizag gasping

As the calendar rolls to 12 October, citizens of Vizag would recall bitter memories of an eventful day from the past. We take a look back at the time in 2014 when Vizag was reeling in the aftermath of Cyclone Hudhud.

It all started with moderate to strong gales with cloudy sky early in the morning of Sunday in Visakhapatnam in 2014. By the time people woke up, electricity was gone, communications were disrupted and strong winds of till-then-unheard-of-or-unseen velocities started engulfing entire areas. Hudhud-a cyclone of unprecedented magnitude-had left the city reeling in the aftermath of the destruction.

The real struggles started the next day after the cyclone Hudhud, on Monday morning, the day after the storm. Traffic jams due to road-blocks, power outage, communication disruptions, lack of provisions, and all such impediments let loose, and the most dangerous one was that of the health hazard that the stagnated waters posed, especially in low-lying areas, like Convent Junction, Velampeta, One-town, etc.

Marking the sixth year since Hudhud cyclone left Vizag reeling, we take a look at a few pictures of the aftermath. A throwback would look at blustery winds coupled with heavy downpours at the speed of as high as 200+ km/h simply ran amok and roughshod over the land destroying everything in its path while moving. The extent of damage that it caused to humans and nature was almost unimaginable. There were scenes that seemed to be straight out of Hollywood disaster thrillers – like brand new cars positioned in the third/fourth floors of a showroom simply rolled and fell to the ground near Muralinagar. Not a single big tree in Vizag Steel Township and Andhra University, probably the greenest areas in entire India, could withstand the fury of Hudhud.

A throwback, looking at the city that paid dearly in the rendezvous with the brute force of Mother Nature: