Kolkata cyclone

•  Jun 12, 2020
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The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Its shoreline includes parts of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Several large rivers flow into the bay. They include Ganges-Hooghly and the Brahmaputra-Jamuna. These rivers have created a large delta area at the northernmost part of the bay. Most of this area is within Bangladesh. Between April and December, cyclones can develop in the Indian Ocean. They often move northwards into the Bay of Bengal. Cyclones begin as tropical storms. They form above a warmer area of seawater. The warm water creates clouds. Cooler air in the surrounding area that moves upwards creates powerful winds. The spin of the Earth then begins to rotate the storm. It gradually speeds up as it moves slowly across the sea’s surface.Similar storms form in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans. There, they are known as hurricanes. In the western Pacific Ocean, the powerful storms are called typhoons. Cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons can create a storm surge as they pass over a coastline. This is a surge of seawater that the strong winds push inland. The huge storms begin to weaken when they travel over the land. Kolkata is one of India’s largest cities. Over 15 million people live within the city and its surrounding area. On the Hoogly River, Kolkata is near the Indian-Bangladeshi border. On May 16, a cyclone developed in the Bay of Bengal. Weather experts in India and Bangladesh tracked the storm. Named Amphan, it headed northwards. Local officials in India and Bangladesh made broadcast cyclone warnings. They told everyone in the coastal areas to move inland. Millions of people took their advice. In this part of the world, many people live in makeshift houses. These homes are unlikely to withstand cyclones. Over the years, storm shelters have been constructed. They have thick concrete walls. In emergencies, other buildings are also used as storm shelters. They can be sports halls, schools, churches, or mosques. At their most powerful, Amphan’s winds blew at 193 kilometers per hour. After making landfall, the cyclone passed over Kolkata. There, most people were in their homes. The strong winds tore off roofs, smashed windows, flattened pylons and trees, and overturned cars. For many hours, large parts of the city had no electric power, drinking water or working telephone lines. Many streets were flooded. Amphan was the worst storm to hit the Kolkata for over 100 years. After Kolkata, the cyclone moved to Bangladesh. There, tens of thousands of homes were destroyed. A storm surge hit the low-lying coastal region. Seawater has contaminated large areas of farmland. It will be many years before it can be used to grow crops again. United Nations (U.N.) workers in Bangladesh say that the storm affected ten million people. As many as 500,000 lost their homes.

Kolkata cyclone

•  Jun 11, 2020
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