Page 8 - Cyclone

Storm developing in Bay of Bengal, likely to reach near WB coast on Sunday

A cyclonic storm developing in the Bay of Bengal is likely to reach near the coasts of West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh on May 26 as a severe cyclone, the Met department said on Thursday. In its wake, light to moderate rain in many areas with heavy rain at isolated places is likely to occur in West Bengal's coastal districts of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur. A well-marked low-pressure system existing in the Bay of Bengal is likely to concentrate into a depression on Friday and thereafter into a cyclonic storm over east-central Bay of Bengal the next day, the weather office said. Subsequently, it would reach near Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal coasts by Sunday evening as a severe cyclonic storm, the Met said. The weather office warned fishermen not to venture into the north Bay of Bengal till Sunday.

Low pressure over Bay of Bengal: Fishermen warned against going in sea

The IMD has warned fishermen not to venture out into the sea and those out at sea to come back to the coast before May 23

Troubling weather roars through US states, spawning potential tornadoes

Thousands of homes and businesses were without power Tuesday as severe weather roared through several states, causing at least one death and spawning possible tornadoes. In West Virginia, about 140,000 customers were without electricity Tuesday afternoon, or about 14% of all customers tracked in the state by poweroutage.us. Meanwhile, a spring snowstorm was expected to drop more than a foot of snow in Wisconsin. One of the hardest-hit areas was northeastern Oklahoma, where a strong weather system containing heavy rains produced three suspected tornadoes. The storms were also blamed for the death of a 46-year-old homeless woman in Tulsa who died inside a drainage pipe, police said. Tulsa Fire Department spokesperson Andy Little said the woman's boyfriend told authorities the two had gone to sleep at the entrance of the drainage pipe and were awakened by the flood waters. National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Darby said up to 1.5 inches (3.81 centimeters) of rain fell in Tulsa

Natural disasters cause $65bn loss in APAC in 2023; 91% loss uninsured: Aon

As per the report, 398 natural disaster events occurred globally in 2023, resulting in an economic loss of $380 billion in the year.

Cyclone kills 5, leaves over 100 injured in West Bengal

Natural calamities pushed disaster damages above $100 billion in 2023

In the US, homeowners are already struggling under rising insurance premiums

PM Modi doesn't care about TN, did not visit during cyclone Michaung: Cong

The Congress on Tuesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that while he has been visiting Tamil Nadu frequently in the last few weeks, he has "historically paid little attention" to the state. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed questions for the prime minister ahead of his visit to Tamil Nadu's Salem and Kerala's Palakkad on Tuesday. "The prime minister is visiting Salem, Tamil Nadu and Palakkad, Kerala today. Some important questions that he must address: While the prime minister has been visiting Tamil Nadu frequently in the last few weeks, he has historically paid little attention to the state," Ramesh said. For instance, he did not set foot there during the Cyclone Michaung crisis in December 2023, he claimed. The chief minister of Tamil Nadu has repeatedly urged for the release of Rs 37,907 crore from the Modi government for rehabilitation and reconstruction after the cyclone, he noted. Does the prime minister plan to

Tornadoes killed at least 3 people in Ohio, crews searching for others

Tornadoes tore through several central US states, flattening homes and trailers in an RV park and killing at least three people, authorities said. Crews and cadaver dogs searched for more victims in the rubble Friday. Thursday night's storms left trails of destruction across parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas. About 40 people were injured and dozens of homes damaged in one Indiana community. Tornadoes were also suspected in Illinois and Missouri. It appeared the worst hit was the Indian Lake area in Ohio's Logan County, northwest of Columbus, with the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point devastated. At least three people died, said Sheriff Randy Dodds. Search crews went into neighbourhoods that had been blocked by gas leaks and fallen trees overnight and made a second pass in areas that were checked in the darkness right after the storm, Dodds said. It's going to take a long time, he said, adding he wasn't aware of anybody unaccounted for. Earlier, the sheriff told NB

No ammonia emission in Ennore plant area in Dec: Coromandel International

An expert who conducted the audit stated that the chances of line pressurisation beyond the design condition are not a credible scenario

Tamilnadu Petroproducts Q3 result: Hit by cyclone, PAT drops to Rs 2.44 cr

Petrochemical manufacturing company Tamilnadu Petroproducts Ltd has recorded a standalone profit after tax for the October-December 2023 quarter at Rs 2.44 crore, following the impact of cyclone Michaung which led to disruption in manufacturing facilities. The city-based company, part of the AM International - Singapore, had posted a standalone net profit at Rs 25.23 crore, during the corresponding quarter of last year. For the nine months period ending December 31, 2023 the standalone net profit stood at Rs 31.82 crore, as against Rs 79.40 crore registered a year ago. "In the quarter (October-December 2023) we encountered challenges due to the cyclone, leading to disruptions in our manufacturing facilities and loss of plant and machinery. Despite these obstacles, we have successfully restored our operations, minimising disruptions to our customer delivery schedule" said TPL Vice Chairman Ashwin Muthiah. The standalone total income during the quarter under review slipped to Rs 351.

'We aim to leverage tech to detect all small-scale severe weather events'

India aims to detect and predict all small-scale severe weather events through the augmentation of its weather observation network and the procurement of more powerful computing systems, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Monday. While launching the yearlong 150th-anniversary celebrations of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Rijiju emphasised that weather and climate impacts are more pronounced than ever, and India strives to become a more climate-resilient country. He said that although the IMD's forecast accuracy has improved by 40 per cent in the last five years compared to the preceding five years, challenges persist in predicting small-scale severe weather events such as cloudbursts. To address this challenge, Rijiju highlighted the importance of augmenting the network of doppler radars and automatic weather stations. The procurement of high-power computing systems will enable the IMD to run higher-resolution models, enhancing the ability to detect and predict all ..

Centre stands with those affected in Tamil Nadu: PM Modi after Michaung

Significantly, during his address at the event, Chief Minister MK Stalin urged PM Modi to declare the Tamil Nadu floods as a national calamity and commit more central funds

Insurance claims drop 30-35% during Chennai floods compared to 2015

This is noteworthy considering the number of policies issued across India by general insurers rose by 74 per cent in 2021-22 compared to 2014-15

PMO takes stock of relief, rehabilitation efforts in flood-hit Tamil Nadu

The Prime Minister's Office on Sunday held a high-level meeting to take stock of the post-flood situation in Tamil Nadu and deliberated on various measures to support the state. PMO officials have interacted with Tamil Nadu government functionaries to discuss relief and rehabilitation measures in the state, official sources said. The deployment of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as well and help from armed forces, including helicopters, in case of need was also discussed, they added. A visit of an inter-ministerial central team to assess the damage was also discussed in the meeting. Intense rains and heavy inundation, unseen in the recent times, have hit parts of the southern state. Chief Minister M K Stalin had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss relief initiatives.

Lives were saved during cyclones due to world-class equipment: RMC Chennai

Amid the criticism that there was a delay in the forecast on the amount of heavy rainfall that occurred last week, the Regional Meteorological Centre here said it has world-class equipment and because of warning issued huge loss of lives was prevented when cyclones like Vardah, Michaung crossed the Eastern coast. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and a host of leaders from the ruling DMK had claimed that the India Meteorological Department failed to predict the accurate amount of rainfall in its forecast for the southern districts which faced 'historic' rains last week leading to severe flooding. Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, however, countered the comments by Stalin and said the RMC in Chennai has 'modern' equipment and is a 'state-of-the-art' facility and it had forecast 'heavy rains' in southern states well in advance. The RMC Chennai, in a statement, on Sunday said there were media reports that the centre did not have any modern equipment an

Special camps to settle insurance claims once flood water recedes in TN: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said a special camp was organised in Chennai for expeditious settlement of claims by general insurance companies in areas impacted by cyclone Michaung and similar efforts would be made in four districts of Tamil Nadu affected by excessive rains and flood. Following Michaung cyclone, four districts--Tirunelveli, Toothukudi, Kanyakumari and Tenkasi -- received excessive rainfall leading to flood like situation in these areas. Once the water in these districts recedes, she said, special camps by insurance companies would be organised to settle claims caused due to flood. Under the aegis of General Insurance Council of India, 19 insurers organised a special camp on December 20-21 at Ambattur Industrial Estate in Chennai for expeditious settlement of claims related to the cyclone. She further said spot settlements were made after survey of the affected industrial units. As many as 31 people have lost their lives in the four districts while

IRDAI eases claim settlement norms for victims of Cyclone Michaung

The regulator's circular added that the special dispensation granted is applicable to the claims arising out of Cyclone Michaung and the resulting heavy rains/floods

Chennai needs at least 2,000 km more of modern stormwater drains: Official

Ten days after Cyclone Michuang brought more than 50 cm of rain inundating many parts of Chennai, a senior official of Greater Chennai Corporation said the city needs to add at least 2,000 km more of modern stormwater drains with a higher capacity to handle showers of this magnitude. The city currently has around 2,950 km of drains, most of which have an inadequate handling capacity of 2-5 cm per hour, S Rajendiran, GCC chief engineer for stormwater drains (SWD), told PTI. "Chennai has a road length of 5,500 km. At least 5,000 km of drains with higher capacity are required for the city to handle such heavy rains. New drains coming up in the northern, western and southern parts of the city are being built to handle rain precipitation of 7-8 cm/hour," he said. The official was referring to the 767 km of drains being constructed at a cost of Rs 3,520 crore in Kosasthalaiyar river basin (North and West Chennai) and 360 km of drains built in Kovalam river basin (South Chennai) at Rs 1,71

Tropical cyclone Jasper weakens while still lashing northeastern Australia

The first tropical cyclone to hit Australia in the current season weakened to a low pressure system but continued to lash the northeast coast Thursday with flooding rain and left almost 40,000 homes and businesses without power. Cyclone Jasper crossed the Queensland state coast late Wednesday as a category 2 storm on a five-tier scale that whipped the sparsely populated region with winds of up to 140 kph (87 mph). The cyclone crossed near the Aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal, 110 kilometers (68 miles) north of the city of Cairns, though many of its 300 residents evacuated before Jasper struck. Katrina Hewitt, who operates tourist accommodation at Wujal Wujal and did not evacuate, said the community was largely unscathed except for damaged trees. It looks amazing. No flooding, no breakages of buildings, Hewitt said. It was a big waiting game. We just didn't know what was going to happen, she said. Hewitt expected Wujal Wujal would be isolated for days by fallen trees blocking .

Cyclone Jasper expected to intensify before it crosses Australian coast

Powerful winds began uprooting trees on the northeast Australian coast on Wednesday as Tropical Cyclone Jasper gathered strength while approaching the area. Jasper is forecast to intensify from a category 1 to category 2 storm on a 5-tier scale before it becomes the first cyclone of the current season to cross the Australian coast late on Wednesday, Queensland state Deputy Premier Steven Miles said. The cyclone is expected to cross the Queensland coast somewhere along a sparsely populated 200-kilometer (124-mile) stretch from the city of Cairns north to Hope Vale, an Aboriginal community of 1,000. Jasper is expected to lash the coast with winds of up to 140 kph (87 mph) as it crosses from the Coral Sea. This is a serious event and it has been some time since this part of the coast has seen a cyclone of this intensity, Miles told reporters in the state capital Brisbane. More than 90 people had left their homes for evacuation centres by Wednesday, Police Deputy Commissioner Shane ...