Hurricane Sandy hits U.S. Coast

Hurricane Sandy was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, as well as the second costliest Atlantic hurricane, only surpassed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The eighteenth named storm and tenth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Sandy devastated portions of the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States in late October 2012. Sandy is estimated in early calculations to have caused damage of at least $20 billion (2012 USD). Preliminary estimates of losses that include business interruption surpass $50 billion (2012 USD), which, if confirmed, would make it the second-costliest Atlantic hurricane in history, behind only Hurricane Katrina.

Sandy developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 22, quickly strengthened and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Sandy six hours later. Sandy moved slowly northward toward the Greater Antilles and gradually intensified. On October 24, Sandy became a hurricane, made landfall near Kingston, Jamaica, a few hours later, re-emerged into the Caribbean Sea and strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane. On October 25, Sandy hit Cuba, then weakened to a to Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 26, Sandy moved through the Bahamas. On October 27, Sandy briefly weakened to a tropical storm and then restrengthened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 29, Sandy curved north-northwest and then moved ashore near Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Storm Scales

A storm in the Atlantic is called a hurricane, in the Indian Ocean it is a cyclone, while around the Philippines and the Pacific Ocean it is known as a typhoon. While these three form over water, tornadoes (or twisters) form over land and are smaller in size and intensity. Though similar in many ways, hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons are measured on different scales. For hurricanes there is the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Depending upon wind speed, hurricanes are classified under Categories 1-5. For a storm to be called a Category 1 hurricane it has to have wind speeds ranging 119-153 kmph; 252 kmph and above are slotted under Category 5. India's Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre's classification of cyclone ranges from depression (51 kmph) to super cyclones (222 kmph).

The Tempest and Other Stories
Storms and imagination go hand in hand. Krishna fights storms sent by Indra. So does Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey. Shakespeare's plays are full of storms. Remember that wonderful scene in King Lear? Edgar Allan Poe ("A Descent into the Maelstrom") and Joseph Conrad (Typhoon) continue the tradition. The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger is a nuanced thriller.
But then storms are all about drama and devastation. And what better medium than films? John Ford filmed lashing waves and swaying palms for the climax of The Hurricane in a Hollywood sound stage. More effective were the billowing curtains and shattering windows in John Huston's classic noir Key Largo. Trouble the Water is a documentary worth repeated viewing.
Musicians weren't far behind. Check out Vivaldi's "Summer" (from The Four Seasons). For the black tee-and-distressed-jeans lot there is, of course, the Scorpions' "Rock you like a hurricane". And jholawallahs and meaning-seekers can tune into Bob Dylan and his "Hurricane".

The Naming Game
Until 1978, storms were only given women's names! But then US weathermen decided to become politically correct and so now we have men's names too attached to hurricanes. It's "Sandy season" now but watch out for Tony, Valerie and William. And next year the hurricane season will start with Andrea, Barry and Chantal.

In days gone by, hurricanes were named after saints. Then latitude and longitude positions were used and during World War II the US military named them after their wives and girl friends. Now it is the job of the World Meteorological Organization, based in Geneva, to get out an alphabetical list of names at its annual meeting. The lists are rotated every six years. Some names from the previous years are "retired", if they have been devastating.

Some That Made Waves:

Great Hurricane of 1780
Though exact figures are unavailable, it is considered to be the deadliest Atlantic hurricane. Between October 10 and 16, over 22,000 lives were lost in eastern Caribbean. Experts conjecture that it was a Category 5 hurricane with speed touching 320 kmph.

Galveston Hurricane
Now forgotten, this Category 4 hurricane nearly wiped out Galveston, Texas' biggest city then. With wind speed touching 233 kmph, it slammed southern US on September 8, 1900. The toll is estimated to be 8,000 fatalities. It is considered to be the most deadly hurricane to strike the US.

Cyclone Bhola
Probably the worst tropical cyclone ever, with reports of nearly half a million deaths in Bangladesh. With wind speed crossing 200 kmph and storm surges of 30 feet, the cyclone caused extensive flooding. It came after five earlier storms had hit the country that year, 1970.

Andhra Pradesh Cyclone
One of the worst cyclones to hit the Indian coast. Touched the Andhra shore line on November 19, 1977 and left in its wake nearly 15,000 dead and damages worth $500 million.

Hurricane Mitch
One of the strongest to hit Honduras and Nicaragua, Mitch brought along torrential rain that caused flooding and mudslides. For over 10 days in October-November 1998, it caused havoc, leaving over 10,000 dead, many thousands missing. Damage was estimated at $6 billion.

Hurricane Katrina
The deadliest and most destructive storm in the 2005 hurricane season. It is also the costliest natural disaster in the US. Over a million people were displaced and 1,800 killed as the Category 5 hurricane hit Louisiana and Mississippi on August 25.

Cyclone Nargis
Hit Myanmar on May 2, 2008. Considered to be the country's worst natural disaster; caused damages worth $10 billion and nearly 150,000 deaths.

Hurricane Ike
In 14 days (September 1-14, 2008), this Category 4 hurricane left large swathes in Cuba, Haiti, Bahamas and US devastated. Close to 200 people died and damages have been estimated to be close to $40 billion. It is considered to be the second costliest hurricane to hit the US.