Written by Prapti Sen, a grade 5 student

Cyclones are large scales of winds that rotate around something strong (like a reef) which has low atmospheric pressure. Their destructive nature does not spare anything that comes in their way.

When the entire world is grappling with the ill effects of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, there were some who had to deal with worse! A CYCLONE!

Let’s delve a little deep into this calamity.

In November 2020, cyclone Nivar was a very severe tropical cyclone that damaged parts of peninsular India including Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and northern Sri Lanka. A disruption in the intertropical convergence zone is slated to be the cause of this cyclone.

A report by the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on November 23^rd noted the formation of a tropical depression followed by the formal announcement of the storm the very next day. Unofficially known as Tropical Cyclone 04B, the cyclone touched down in Tamil Nadu’s Marakkanam and was formally named Nivar by the IMD

The coastal areas in Sri Lanka received heavy rainfall and thunderstorms before it moved inland there. In Tamil Nadu, several roads were closed because of the waterlogging. The river Adyar was flooded and this affected the suburbs around Adambakkam and Tambaram. Many lamp posts fell down and hurt people. Water had also entered many shanties and temporary houses. Unfortunately, five people lost their lives due to their severe destruction. The cyclone in Andhra Pradesh gave a sudden shake to the settlers of Chittoor, Prakasam, Kadapa, and Nellore, where one lakh, twelve thousand people fell ill, eight people lost their lives and two thousand two hundred ninety-four houses were damaged. In Puducherry, many trees were uprooted that blocked roads and damaged electric poles. Puducherry faced a heavy agricultural loss that would cost about four billion rupees to make up for. Thankfully no one was reported dead in Puducherry.

The respective state governments had evacuated more than one lakh people and had taken them to different relief centers. They had also declared the 25th of November as a state-wide holiday. In order to help citizens recover, the government organized to store dry-rations and fuel. Thankfully the effect of the cyclone reduced after the 27th of November.

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