The Devil Of Nature

Strong gushing winds centred on a core. A hurricane that took more lives than property - a loss that can never be filled again. Such are the games of nature.

A view of Machalipatnam after the cyclone; Source: Public Domain

In 1990, May 8 came as a life-taking day for many people in the state of Andhra Pradesh. This morning was not so good. It was not that this was the first cyclone Andhra faced. Prior to this May cyclone, Andhra Pradesh faced several cyclones, but something untoward happened that no one expected.

Suddenly, the average wind speed increased. The Indian Meteorological Department measured wind speed and air pressure - 230 km / h and 920 hPa respectively. The Indian Government announced that all fishermen should return to their homes as soon as possible to protect themselves.

The IMD reported that a depression had developed along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The IMD warned the state government and the Indian government from time to time so that they could take early precautions.

On 8 May, the worst disaster known as the Maclipatanam cyclone affected the coastal region of Andhra. It is the worst disaster affecting southern India since the 1977 cyclone of Andhra Pradesh. The most affected area was Chengalpattu district, where high waves hit the coast as one of the oldest temples of Kashivishwanath collapsed.

It would not be possible that the cyclone would come and go quietly without any loss. The cyclone had a severe impact on India with a life of 967 people and 100,000 animals. It damaged 1.4 million homes in India, and the total estimated damage to crops exceeds $ 600 million (1990 USD).

We can deal with the loss of money, but we cannot bring back the people who lost their lives due to this cyclone or any other natural disaster. We cannot even imagine how many families and lives were destroyed by this natural cyclone, how many children were orphaned, and how many houses were ruined due to this natural disaster.

After the cyclone cools down, the Government launched a massive rescue operation, supported by the three wings of our defense services - the Army, Navy, and Air force.

Afterward, many other cyclones hit the coastline of southern India. We do not know how long these cyclones will ruin the lives of people.