New Delhi:
Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have been bracing themselves for the impact of cyclone Gaja, ever since the alarm was sounded by the India Meteorological Department on Saturday. Gaja, named by Thailand, was currently located 840 kilometre off Chennai coast and 980 kilometre away from Sriharikota.
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While cyclone Gaja may be one of the biggest storms the south Indian state has seen in recent times, there are many others that that have left Indian cities devastated in the recent past. Here are five of the recent cylones to have hit India:
Cyclone Titli - October 10, 2018
Titli killed at least 77 people in Odisha and left a couple of others missing, due to heavy flooding and landslides. The storm caused another eight deaths in Andhra Pradesh. The storm weakened into a depression before entering West Bengal, wreaking havoc in some parts of South Bengal, and bringing torrential rain and gale-force wind. Damage from flooding caused by Titli totalled at Rs 3,673.1 crore in Andhra Pradesh and Rs 3,000 crore in Odisha, according to reports.
Cyclone Daye - September 21, 2018
Daye made landfall in south Odisha, also impacting the adjoining north Andhra Pradesh coast near Gopalpur resulting in heavy rains and strong winds of 65 to 75 km/hour in various districts in the regions. Over the next two days, Daye continued moving westward, while dropping heavy amounts of rain across India. Torrential rains and flash floods were also reported in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab, resulting in at least 25 deaths. The floodgates of the famous Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh were opened, for the first time in 10 years.
Cyclone Ockhi - November 29, 2017
Severe cyclonic storm Ockhi was a strong tropical cyclone that devastated parts of India in 2017. It caused severe damage to property and claimed the lives of at least 218 people in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala along the way. Ockhi impacted Lakshadweep on December 2, uprooting coconut trees and causing extensive damage to houses, power lines and other infrastructure on the islands.
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Cyclone Vardah - December 6, 2016
Severe cyclonic storm Vardah was the most intense tropical cyclone of the 2016 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. The system struck the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as well as South India. The IMD classified the system as Depression BOB 06, as it had sufficiently organised itself, with winds of 45 km/h (30 mph). Vardah brought heavy rainfall to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a deep depression. More than 1,400 tourists were stranded on the Havelock and Neil islands of the archipelago during the storm.
Cyclone Phailin - October 5, 2013
Extremely severe cyclonic storm Phailin was the most intense tropical cyclone to make landfall in India since 1999. The cyclone prompted India's biggest evacuation in 23 years with more than 550,000 people moved up from the coastline in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to safer places. Total losses were estimated at Rs 42.4 billion from the storm, according to reports.
