Saturday, October 12, 2013

Wikipedia: Cyclone Phailin terrorizes hundreds of thousands of people in India

Cyclone Phailin

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This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. (October 2013)

	Phailin	VSCS

Satellite image

Past track

Current storm status
Very severe cyclonic storm (IMD)

Current storm status
Category 4 tropical cyclone (JTWC)

As of

1730 IST (1200 UTC), 12 October 2013

Location

18.7°N, 85.2°E
About 65 km (40 mi) SE of Gopalpur

Winds

195 km/h; (120 mph) (3-min sustained)
220 km/h; (140 mph) (1-min sustained)
gusting to 270 km/h; (165 mph)

Pressure

936 hPa (27.64 inHg)

Movement

NW at 10.8 kn (20.0 km/h; 12.4 mph)

See more detailed information

Cyclone Phailin is a very severe cyclonic storm that has affected Thailand, Myanmar and the Indian provinces of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. The system was first noted as a tropical depression within the Gulf of Thailand, to the west of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Over the next few days, the system moved westwards within an area of low to moderate vertical wind shear, before as it passed over the Malay Peninsula, it moved out of the Western Pacific Basin on October 6. The system emerged into the Andaman Sea during the next day and moved west-northwest into an improving environment for further development. The system was subsequently named Phailin on October 9, after it had developed into a cyclonic storm and passed over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands into the Bay of Bengal. After it was named, Phailin rapidly intensified and developed an eye, and became a very severe cyclonic storm on October 10, equivalent to a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS). Later that day, Phailin became equivalent to a category 4 hurricane on the SSHWS before it underwent an eyewall replacement cycle and formed a new eyewall early on October 11. This new eyewall subsequently consolidated and allowed the system to intensify and become equivalent to a category 5 hurricane on the SSHWS later that day.
Officials said around 12 million people may be affected, 600 buildings have been identified as cyclone shelters, and people are being evacuated from areas near the coast, including Ganjam, Puri, Khordha and Jagatsinghapur districts in Odisha^{[clarification needed]}.^[1]

Meteorological history

Storm path

On October 4, the Japan Meteorological Agency began monitoring a tropical depression that developed in the Gulf of Thailand, about 400 km (250 mi) west of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.^[2]^[3] Over the next couple of days the system moved westward within an area of low to moderate vertical wind shear. As it passed over the Malay Peninsula, it moved out of the Western Pacific Basin on October 6.^[4]^[5]^[6] The system subsequently emerged into the Andaman Sea during the next day, before the India Meteorological Department (IMD) started to monitor the system as Depression BOB 04 early on October 8.^[7]^[8] During that day the system moved towards the west-northwest into an environment for further development. The IMD reported that the system had become a deep depression early on October 9 as it intensified and consolidated further.^[9]^[10] The United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center subsequently initiated advisories on the depression and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 02B, before the system slightly weakened, as it passed near to Mayabunder in the Andaman Islands and moved into the Bay of Bengal.^[11]^[12]^[13] After moving into the Bay of Bengal, the system quickly reorganized as it moved along the southern edge of a subtropical ridge of high pressure. The IMD reported that the system had intensified into a cyclonic storm and named it Phailin.^[13]^[14]
After it was named, Phailin rapidly intensified further, and became equivalent to a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS) early on October 10, after bands of atmospheric convection had wrapped into the systems low level circulation center and formed an eye feature.^[15]^[16] Later that day the IMD reported that the system had become a very severe cyclonic storm, before the JTWC reported that Phailin had become equivalent to a category 4 hurricane on the SSHWS, after it had rapidly intensified throughout that day.^[17]^[18] Early the next day the system underwent an eyewall replacement cycle and formed a new eyewall which subsequently consolidated and allowed the system to intensify further and become equivalent to a category 5 hurricane on the SSHWS.^[19]^[20]^[21] Shortly before landfall, Phailin underwent another eyewall replacement cycle, weakening it slightly to a strong Category 4 status.^[22]

Naming of Phailin

Phailin is the last of the first set of 32 names for tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean (45°E – 100°E).^[23] The names have been suggested by Asian countries since 2004. Phailin, was named by Thailand and means "sapphire" in Thai.^{[citation needed]}

Preparations

In various areas of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh over 2,300 NDRF personnel have been deployed for search and rescue. Twenty medical teams have been flown in with medical support and 60 teams of Navy were ready at different places.^[24]

Phailin while undergoing its second Eyewall replacement cycle on 12 October 2013.

Infrared imagery of Phailin's cloud top temperatures (lower the temperature, more intense the convection is). Taken on 11 October 2013.

Odisha

Government issued a high alert to the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam and Gajapati; and cancelled the Dusshera holidays of employees of all 30 districts of the state, asking them to ensure safety of people. Food and relief materials were stocked-up at storm shelters across the state.^[25] Distant storm warning signal was raised to two at the ports of Paradip and Gopalpur.^[26] The Chief Minister of Odisha wrote to the Union Defence Minister seeking support from defence personnel, particularly the Air Force and Navy, for rescue and relief operations.^[27] Indian Air Force choppers were kept on standby in West Bengal to move in for help at short notice. Odisha (formerly known as Orissa) government has made arrangements for over 100,000 food packets for relief.^[28]

Andhra Pradesh

The Andhra Pradesh government put 6 of its districts on high alert and the Chief Minister met representatives of the Army and Navy seeking their assistance if required.^[29] Utility workers striking against the division of Andhra Pradesh called off their strike, partly in view of the cyclone threat to the coastal districts.^[30] In the wake of the storm, employees of various JACs joined for emergency duties, providing temporary relief for people from the 70-day political agitation in the state. The state government ordered the evacuation of 64,000 people living in low-lying areas.^[31]

Impact

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The cyclone caused heavy to very heavy rain in many places in the Andaman Islands and severely affected normal lives in the islands. On October 9, the rainfall recorded for the 24 hour period was 336 mm (13.2 in) in Mayabunder and 337 mm (13.3 in) in Long Island. In 72 hours, Mayabunder observed 735 millimetres (28.9 in) of precipitation. The flooding caused due to heavy rains in Middle Andaman had rendered many homeless and also Cyclone resulted in closure of the Andaman Trunk Road, with many passengers being held up at different stations. The road between Middle Strait, Jirkatang and Kadamtala was shut down due to heavy winds, not allowing the vehicle ferry connectivity.^[32]

Odisha

Heavy rainfall led to the death of a man in Bhubaneswar after a tree fell on him. Gusty winds led to many downed trees and powerlines.^[33] Rain and wind have lashed India's east coast and nearly 400,000 people have fled to cyclone shelters after the government issued a red alert and warned of severe damage when the cyclone made landfall on 12 October.^[34] Due to high winds, seven other people were killed in Odisha due to falling trees.^[35] ^[36]