In the last 40 years , Andhra Pradesh has been hit by at least 65 cyclonic storms, including a few Category 4 and 5 ones.
But nothing was close and devastating as was Hudhud, which was categorised as extremely severe cyclonic storm under Category 4 hurricane list. Even the Diviseema cyclone in 1977 was a Category 3 one, but the death toll was much higher (around 14,200), which was primarily due to tidal waves and lack of preparedness and awareness.
Compared to Hudhud, the recent cyclone Titli that made landfall between Gopalpur in Odisha and Kalingapatnam in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh on October 11, was of much smaller scale. Titli, as per the IMD, was a Category 2 cyclone.
Hudhud was an eye-opener, as it was not only a Category 4 hurricane but also a dry tropical cyclone, a phenomenon associated with global warming and climate change, said Prof. SSVS Ramakrishna of the Department of Oceanography and Meteorology, Andhra University. It was the wind associated with the system that proved to be devastating.
The rainfall was barely 20 cm in the case of Hudhud, when compared to other cyclones of the same category such as Phailin that brought in over 38 cm of rain in just 24 hours. Even Titli brought rains to the extent of 30 cm, said Prof. Ramakrishna.
Epic disaster
This was for the first time in 100 years that a cyclone of this magnitude hit a city like Visakhapatnam, and its effect spread over the three districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam.
According to District Collector Pravin Kumar, the damage in Viskhapatnam district was extensive. The primary lesson learnt from Cyclone Hudhud was to correctly interpret the weather predictions and take them seriously.
It was after Hudhud, APEPDCL had proposed underground cabling network, as power sector was the worst hit.
"Apart from redesigning the electric poles that can withstand high velocity winds, we have worked on other areas such as underground cabling, indoor substations and installing alternative emergency communication system such as VHF," said APEPDCL Chairman and Managing Director H.Y Dora.
Insurance cover
Hudhud, which caused unprecedented loss to business establishments, created the realisation among many for taking comprehensive insurance policies. Big establishments like Visakhapatnam Port and Hindustan Shipyard Ltd suffered a lot as they did not opt for comprehensive insurance.
Admits G. Sambasiva Rao, Managing Director of Sravan Shipping Services, their decision to take reinstate policy for their facilities at warehouses and freight stations by paying higher premium has enabled them to revive operations in a short span. The firm received almost 90% of claim unlike others who had to be content with just 50% of their claim.
A conservative estimate revealed that only 5% of trade and commerce in the city had opted for reinstate policy before Hudhud, which increased significantly after the disaster.