Hudhud, the very severe cyclonic storm, has lashed the Andhra Pradesh coast, causing massive damage to the port city of Visakhapatnam and the surrounding districts. Southern Orissa districts have also been hit. The damage to infrastructure in both states is likely to be of a high magnitude, with coastal Andhra being pushed especially hard.
Coastal Andhra Pradesh is slammed by hurricanes and cyclonic storms about every three years. Fortunately, this has alerted the authorities to the necessity of providing emergency shelters for people who have to be evacuated at short notice. About four lakh people could thus be removed to safety. With the cyclone tearing into Vizag city at nearly 200 kilometres per hour, the fate of ordinary folk living in the area would have been too tragic to contemplate if not for lessons learnt.
Fortunately, meteorological sophistication acquired by India in recent times, thanks to rapid strides made in the field of space and satellite technology besides weather forecasting methods, have contributed not a little to offer timely forewarning to potentially vulnerable sections of the people.
Hudhud’s demonic progress to the Indian coast was not unexpected, and it was prepared for. We could lie in wait for the animal. This was hard to contemplate even 10 years ago. Advancement in science has been a blessing and our investment in this process pays a dividend on a frequent basis. Yet, surprisingly frequent uninformed comment and a ploughman’s scepticism about putting money into science each time an Indian spacecraft is released into the skies appears routine. It is time we got that one out of the way. But for strides in space science and the geological sciences in general, we would not be able to protect our people when a natural calamity like a super sea-storm strikes. But for progress of this nature, lives would be lost in magnitudes that are hard to bear.
The Andhra Pradesh administration is coping with a lot. It seems to have done a commendable job along with the Indian Navy and the NDRF, which have done sterling work to save men and materials. The Orissa administration has also moved with alacrity and the Naveen Patnaik government has even found itself capable of offering financial assistance to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to cope with the aftermath of the disaster as heavy rains lash both states.
In terms of nature’s fury, the worst will soon be over. The Centre will of course be called upon to help out financially after appropriate assessments are made. There is a reminder here that another state to the far north of the country, Jammu and Kashmir, too has been patiently waiting for a post-flood rehabilitation package. The Centre needs to move more quickly.
