4 years of HudHud: A throwback to Visakhapatnam’s worst disaster

A throwback to Visakhapatnam’s worst disaster, HudHud: It all started with moderate to strong gales with cloudy sky early in the morning of Sunday in Visakhapatnam. 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 of our beautiful Visakhapatnam. Of course, everybody was aware of the impending cyclone, thanks to the technology, which had predicted its genesis and movement much in advance. Yes, the technology could predict the velocity of gales, but it could not be translated into how many roofs would simply fly off. Yes, the technology could predict that there would be lull in the middle after it crosses the shore and enters on to the land mass, where people live, but no one could visualise that it would be a lull before a much bigger storm that would prove to be the proverbial salt on the wound inflicted earlier. Yes, the technology could predict the pressure in terms of the conventional units of mmHg and SI unit of Pascals, but it could not be translated into how many trees would fall, how many electric poles would fly off, how many cattle would be dead, how many people would become homeless. That it not only faced any resistance to have weakened but also that favourable situations prevailed in the open seas aided and abetted the intensity and the venom of this cyclonic demon.

HudHud Aftermath – But, 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.. However, the massive rescue work initiated by state government really brought the situation under control as fast as it could be. The very fact that State’s CM literally stationed himself in Visakhapatnam gave a wonderful boost to the morale of the citizens, in addition to the required fillip to the government machinery that swung into full action. The corrective measures applied after Visakhapatnam was reduced to just rubble and debris were as effective as the preventive measures that it took with the help of National Disaster Management Authority. In fact, the United Nations praised the Government for its effective handling of the situation and conveyed it in unequivocal terms.

Getting back after HudHud – The administration rose to the occasion and worked with high-efficiency levels in cutting trees and clearing way for movement of traffic, or erecting electric poles and repairing connections, or repairing the damaged water and sewerage pipelines, and so on. The most important aspect to note was the exemplary resolve and spirited work put in by the common man in combating this disaster. Everyone chipped in, forming communities in clearing the rubble and debris, or in spreading information about the availability of food and ration using social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter, etc. or working through NGOs, which pressed into action with full-swing for distribution of food and clothing for the affected people.