5/25/2020 Frontier articles on Society & Politics https://www.frontierweekly.com/views/may-20/25-5-20-Amphan - Maiden Super Cyclone of the Century.html 1/2 Amphan - Maiden Super Cyclone of the Century Gautam Kumar Das In the ulƟmate fact of nature, this Ɵme too, Sunderbans is lulled with the sweetest tragic melody of devastaƟng strike composed of the tunes of the Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan (pronounced as Um-Pun). Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan baƩers over North & South 24 Parganas districts and Kolkata on 20 May, 2020 barreling in from the Bay of Bengal with the wind speed of up to 185km/h where it claimed 80 lives in West Bengal and 16 killed as storm hits Bangladesh coast causing heavy rains and Ɵdal surges. Three deaths were reported including that of a 3 months old girl in Odisha as extremely severe cyclonic storm Amphan barreled on 20 May. In Kolkata metropolis, it is tall trees that are first assailed by the storm. Huge damage of properƟes, houses and households, large trees, bamboo groves, communicaƟon and electric poles etc as reported due to the Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan leads to a severe natural disaster. In the morning of 21 May, Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan lies as a well-marked low over North Bangladesh and adjoining area. Weather office hopes that there will be no further threat for the GangeƟc West Bengal including severely damaged and destroyed North & South 24 Parganas and Kolkata. The cyclonic storm Amphan has strengthened to the massive storm to hit India and Bangladesh in modern history. Its 2201 km across, with an eye 20 km in size, a steady wind of 165 km/h gusƟng at 185 km/h is equivalent to a Hurricane Cat 5 generated on 13 May in the east Bay of Bengal. The deep depression in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into cyclone Amphan, which is centred around 10.50N and 86.40E, about 650 km of Chennai and on 17 May, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) confirms Cyclone Amphan, the first cyclone in North Indian Ocean for 2020, heading towards West Bengal and Bangladesh and then it’s official as the Cyclone Amphan is declared by IMD. Amphan cyclone is so massive, its moisture plume covers all the stretch of West Bengal including Digha, Sankarpur, Tajpur and Mandarmani. Naturally Cyclone Amphan will have catastrophic damaging potenƟal with extremely heavy rains and high-velocity winds, along with and off the coast of Odisha and West Bengal. Further, IMD forecasts landfall of Amphan is sƟll a suspense. Impact of Cyclone Amphan on coastal West Bengal and Bangladesh will be mostly on 19 or 20 May, 2020. IMD Authority, on 17 May, advises fishermen in sea to return to the coast by 18 May posiƟvely. Not only to the fishermen, but IMD advises to the Government of West Bengal to combat cyclone Amphan by taking immediate measures for disrupƟon of rail road at several places, extensive damage to standing crops, plantaƟons, orchards, blowing down of palm and coconut trees, uprooƟng of large bushy trees, large boats and ships may get torn from their moorings, extensive damage to all types of kutcha houses, some damage to old badly managed pucca structures, potenƟal threat from flying objects like Ɵn shed etc, extensive uprooƟng of communicaƟon and power poles. Meanwhile, Amphan qualifies to be the first Super Cyclone of this century in the Bay of Bengal as the winds in the inner periphery of the storm in excess of 200 km/h and likely to build up further to be in excess of 225 km/h. The Super Cyclone conƟnues to retain and refine its eye as a sharp pin-hole round structure with a diameter of 20 km clearly seen in the satellite image published and displayed by the IMD in the storm that has moved nearly northward with a speed of 12 km/h on 17 &18 May, 17 km/h on 19 May and 22 km/h on 20th May respecƟvely. On 20 May, landfall process commenced since 2.30 pm and conƟnued for about 4 hours. The forward sector of the wall cloud region is entering into land in West Bengal. UlƟmately, in their BulleƟn No. 13 dated 20.05.2020, issued at 1830 hours IST, IMD declared that Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan crossed West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm with the speed of 155-165 km/h gusƟng to 185 km/h across Sunderbans near Lat 21.650N and 88.30E between 1530 & 1730 hours IST of 20th May nearby Dakshin Chandanpiri of Namkhana Block under South 24 Parganas District of West Bengal. Amphan is another crisis during unprecedented crisis in the country as corona lock down floods earth quake, heavy rain and now cyclone Amphan. To combat this crisis, NaƟonal Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General S N Pradhan said that 37 NDRF teams have been deployed in seven districts of Odisha and six districts of West Bengal in view of Cyclone Amphan. The force is fully geared with all equipment and paraphernalia to face the developing situaƟon for Amphan that turns into a Super Cyclonic Storm. But with all measures on behalf of both state and central governments, Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan devastated almost the enƟre areas of North & South 24 Parganas districts almost enƟrely including Kolkata and other districts of the South Bengal parƟally, though the storm is likely to retain the status of Super Cyclonic Storm for 12 hours before it downgrades in the open waters itself to Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm. This will happen because of relaƟvely cool water and verƟcal wind shear is a change in wind speed or direcƟon with change in alƟtude, it inhibits tropical cyclones. Anyway, West Bengal faces a drasƟc damage overall amounƟng to about thousands crore Rupees. Amphan, qualified as the first Super Cyclone of the century in the Bay of Bengal damages almost the enƟre South 24 Parganas district due to its huge wind speed and heavy rainfall. Readings of wind speed and rainfall at South 24 Parganas district in the wake of cyclone Amphan up to 2 pm on 20 May, the day of striking, are recorded by the IMD. Sl No Place Wind Speed (km/h) Gale Wind Speed (km/h) Gusts Rainfall (mm) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sagar Mousuni Island Bakkhali G Plot (Pathar PraƟma) Kultali BasanƟ Gosaba 91 94 106 94 65 48 39 130 141 146 128 107 84 80 15.3 14.0 14.0 13.0 10.0 5.6 3.7