CYCLONE OKICHI

DESCRIPTION
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Ockhi was a strong tropical cyclone that
devastated parts of Sri Lanka and India, and was the most intense
tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea since Cyclone Megh in 2015. The
third and the strongest Cyclonic Storm of the 2017 North Indian Ocean
cyclone season, the origins of Ockhi can be traced back to an area of low
pressure that formed in the eastern Andaman Sea on November 21.
While traversing the southern part of the Bay of Bengal, favorable
conditions enabled it to consolidate into a deep depression. As a deep
depression, it caused damage to property and life in Sri Lanka on
November 29. Due to high moisture and warmer temperatures seas
surface between Sri Lanka and Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) in
mainland India, Ockhi intensified into a Cyclonic Storm on November
30.
While near Kanyakumari in mainland India, Cyclone Ockhi changed its
path and headed towards Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea, while
intensifying. Although it headed away from the coast of mainland India,
it caused severe damages to structures and property and also claiming
the lives of at least 218 people in the Southern parts
of Tamilnadu and Kerala in India. Ockhi impacted Lakshadweep on
December 2. The cyclone uprooted coconut trees and caused extensive
damages to houses, power lines and other infrastructure in the
islands. Ockhi dissipated near the south coast of Gujarat in India on
December 6, due to prevailing conditions, even before entering the
coast.
Cyclone Ockhi originated from a low pressure area over southwest Bay
of Bengal and adjoining areas of south Sri Lanka & equatorial Indian
Ocean on 28 November. It crossed south coast of Gujarat between Surat
and Dahanu as a well-marked low-pressure area on December 6. The
storm traversed a distance of 2,538 km. In its entire course, Cyclone
Ockhi left a trail of massive destruction in Sri
Lanka, Lakshadweep, South India, and Maldives as it strengthened from
a depression to a mature cyclone. Though it rapidly weakened in its final
stages over the Arabian Sea, it caused heavy rainfall along the western
coast of India, particularly in Maharashtra and Gujarat. More than 245
fatalities were caused by Ockhi, including 218 in India and it left at least
551 people, mainly fishermen, missing.

EFFECTS
Close to 220 families were moved from the coastal areas of Kochi as a
precaution, due to a tidal wave attack at Chellambaram. Nearly 100
houses, mostly in Puthenthodu and Baazar, were vacated and schools
were used as rehabilitation centres. 180 families in Chellanam, 17 in
Kannamaly and 18 in Edavanakadu were moved to these centres, where
food and medicine was available. The Government of
Maharashtra announced a holiday on December 5 for schools in
the MMR and in some other selective districts, for safety purposes. As
Cyclone Ockhi threatened the Gujarat coast on Tuesday, more than
5,000 people were shifted to safer locations and National Disaster
Response Force (NDRF) teams deployed in vulnerable places.
Fishermen were warned not to put out to sea and those out fishing were
called back. Schools and college were closed.

Territory Fatalities Missing Damage

Tamil Nadu 108 400 130290000000

Kerala 174 261 149182050000

Cyclone Ockhi crossed the sea near Kanyakumari, the southern tip of
mainland India, on November 30. Though it changed direction
near Kanyakumari and headed towards the Lakshadweep Islands in
the Arabian Sea, it caused havoc and destruction in the southernmost
districts of Tamilnadu and Kerala, particularly Kanyakumari
District of Tamilnadu and Thiruvananthapuram District of
Kerala. Damage throughout Kerala was initially estimated at Rs 1843
crore. In Tamil Nadu damage was estimated more than Rs 1000
crores. As a Deep Depression, the system lashed the coast of Tamil
Nadu and Kerala, damaging infrastructure and taking the lives of 34
more people. An estimated 52 in Kerala and 11 people in Tamil Nadu
died in the cyclone with many others missing. On December 2, the
cyclone hit the Lakshadweep islands.

The Southern Railway announced partial cancellation of train services

between Nagercoil and Kanyakumari, Nagercoil
and Thiruvananthapuram, and Nagercoil and Tirunelveli due to heavy
rain caused by Cyclone Ockhi. Torrential overnight rains accompanied
by squally winds lashed the district, uprooting 550 trees and 950 electric
poles disrupting normal life. Many parts suffered power cuts even as
educational institutions remained closed in the districts of Tirunelveli,
Tuticorin, Viruthunagar and Thanjavur. The Indian Navy and Coast
Guard searched for stranded fishermen in Coastal areas of Lakshadweep.
More than 400 people were rescued and evacuated, few cadavers were
found. Coastal areas of Ernakulam District in Kerala were affected by
the cyclone. Around 2,648 people were evacuated to seven shelters over
Kochi. The cyclone claimed five lives in Kanyakumari District of Tamil
Nadu on November 30, caused by falling trees. The cyclone went on to
hit Lakshadweep islands on December 2. The three major islands of
Lakshadweep—Minicoy, Kalpeni, and Kavaratti—suffered major
damages. Around 500 houses suffered damage, several coconut trees got
uprooted and electric and communication lines were disrupted due to the
calamity in Minicoy island. An estimated ₹200 crore loss has been
reported following the collapse of the ‘breakwater’—a barrier built out
into the sea to protect a coast from the force of waves at Kalpeni.
A desalination plant at Kavaratti was damaged. The cyclone Ockhi then
moved away from Lakshadweep towards the western coast of India on
December 4, bringing rare rainfall in December to Mumbai and other
nearby areas. In Goa, beach shacks were hit by high tides caused by the
cyclone Ockhi. Several important beaches in the state were affected due
to the sudden ingress of water, which resulted in inundation of the
shacks and soil erosion. Almost 50 shacks in Morjim, Mandrem,
Arambol and Querim beaches in Pernem taluka were damaged. In
Bardez taluka, only soil erosion at Anjuna and Baga beaches and
damage to a retaining wall at Coco beach in Nerul was
reported. Mumbai witnessed a delay of more than 40% flights on
December 4 and 5, due to low visibility at the airport in the wake of
Cyclone Ockhi. According to data presented by Ixigo, 262 flights were
delayed from a total of 587 domestic flights and 118 of 357 international
flights were delayed at the Mumbai airport on Wednesday. Unseasonal
rain and inclement weather in the wake of Cyclone Ockhi had severely
impacted grape farms in Maharashtra. Nashik district received 125.5 mm
of rain on due to the impact of Ockhi.[64] Cyclone Ockhi dumped more
than 80,000 kg or 80 tonnes of waste from the ocean on
the Mumbai beaches, reveal estimates released by the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) solid waste management (SWM)
department.
In Gujarat, parts of southern region received significant rains with the
highest rainfall in Umargam of 90 mm, causing damage to vegetables
and banana crops. Strong winds of 25 km/h were also recorded. The
cloudy and chilly weather had also affected people and crops.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu sent special rescue teams on 2 ecember to track
missing fishermen who were at sea during the onset of the Cyclone, due
to protests in coastal areas over the unsatisfactory response from
government agencies. Edappadi K. Palaniswami encouraged Rajnath
Singh to involve the Navy and Coast Guard in search operations. The
Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, claimed that 400 stranded
fishermen were rescued. Close to 12 boats housing 138 fishermen in
total arrived at Kalpeni, while four other boats arrived at Androth,
Kithan and Chatlet, all of which were in Lakshwadeep. Lakshadweep
experienced massive coastal erosion, power disruption, extensive
damage to property and shortage of water. People were provided with
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief by the Indian Navy in
Lakshadweep. The Navy transported relief material to Minicoy,
Kavaratti and Kalpeni on Sunday. 4 tonnes of material, including
rice, dal, salt and potatoes, water, blankets, raincoats, disposable clothes,
mosquito nets and dhurries, were given to the local government. It was
reported that dry provisions and ready to eat meals were also being
transported to Bitra Island by helicopter from Dweeprakshak base in the
island of Kavaratti. The government claimed the relief material would
last for a week for 2000 people. Tamil Nadu government December 6
told as many as 4,501 houses in cyclone Ockhi-hit Kanyakumari have
suffered partial and full damage and relief to the tune of ₹41 lakh had
been provided. A government release quoted 1,687 houses had been
damaged completely while 2,814 houses had suffered partial damage.
According to government officials, about 33,000 people from Kerala and
another 2,800 from Tamil Nadu were affected by the cyclone as of 30
November 2017. The Centre Government reported that 39 people had
died 167 were missing after the Cyclone hit parts of Kerala and Tamil
Nadu. Authorities conducted rescue operations that attempted to locate
the missing people in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep. An
estimated number of 74 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and 93 from Kerala
were missing. The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, declared
a compensation of ₹20 lakh to the families of those who died and ₹5
lakh to those who were permanently disabled due to the cyclone. He also
announced that fishermen and their children will be paid ₹60 and ₹ 45 as
an allowance for a week along with free food and rations for the
residents of the coastal villages for a period of a month. Due to huge
losses from the cyclone, the Kerala government decided to maintain a
registry of its fishermen and install GPS and other tracking systems as
well as life-saving gadgets on their vessels to limit damages in the wake
of natural calamities. The state government’s rescue and relief efforts
came under fire from the residents of coastal belt who staged protests,
alleging the response to the crisis was tardy. Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath donated Rs. five crores from the Chief
Minister Distress Relief Fund to Prime Minister's National Relief Fund
(PMNRF) for the Cyclone Ockhi affected people in Lakshadweep and
other states. Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar announced an
assistance of Rs one crore to the Lakshadweep islands ravaged by the
calamity.
CASAULITIES: 28

RELIEF MEASURES
Chief Minister of Kerala complained to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi that he had a negligent attitude towards states ruled by the
Left. The complaint was that in the matter of Ockhi and the natural
calamity that followed, the Centre had a different attitude. The Centre
inquired with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister about the situation but did not
inquire about Kerala. Fishermen and their families protested and did not
allow Vijayan's car to pass through during his visit of Vizhinjam, a
fishing village near Thiruvananthapuram. The protesters claimed that the
Government of Kerala was late in issuing warning to the fishermen on
November 29, when the cyclone was in depression state near Sri Lanka.
The Kerala Disaster Management Authority blamed the India
Meteorological Department, claiming that they had only issued a fishing
advisory, and not a warning. Sekhar Kuriakose, the member secretary of
the Kerala Disaster Management Authority, claimed in a press statement
on 1 December that it was not possible for MET department to issue a
cyclone warning on November 29 as the cyclone was still a deep
depression on November 30 till noon. Several thousands of people
belonging to fishermen's families in Kanyakumariprotested at the
district's Kuzhithurai railway station on Thursday, December 7, 2017,
demanding prompt action in tracing the fishermen caught in sea due to
cyclone Ockhi. Members of nine fishing villages in Kanyakumari
district protested on the Kuzhiturai railway station tracks. The protesters
were demanding that their villages to be merged with Kerala, and the
government there has done a lot in locating the missing fishermen.