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.
