Cyclone 05B (1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Category 5 tropical cyclone (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
 Tropical Cyclone 05B at landfall as a strong Category 4 | ||
| Formed | October 25, 1999 | |
| Dissipated | November 3, 1999 | |
| Highest winds |
| |
| Lowest pressure | <912 mbar (hPa)<ref name="rmsi">http://www.rmsi.com/PDF/orissasupercyclone.pdf</ref> | |
| Damage | $4.5 billion (1999 USD) $5.1 billion (2005 USD)<ref name="rmsi"/> | |
| Fatalities | 9,803+ direct | |
| Areas affected | India, Myanmar | |
| Part of the 1999 North Indian cylone season | ||
Tropical Cyclone 05B was the deadliest Indian Ocean tropical cyclone since the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone, and deadliest Indian storm since 1971. The storm made landfall just weeks after a Category 4 storm hit the same general area.
A tropical depression formed over the Malay Peninsula on October 25. It moved to the northwest and became a tropical storm on October 26. It continued to strengthen into a cyclone on the 27th. On October 28, it became a severe cyclone with a peak of 160 mph (260 km/h) winds. It hit India the next day as a 155 mph (250 km/h) cyclone. It caused the deaths of over 9,803 people, and heavy to extreme damage in its path of destruction.
Contents |
[edit] Storm history
A tropical disturbance developed in the South China Sea in mid-to-late October. It tracked westward and organized itself enough to have the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issue a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) on October 23. But the system failed to organize itself any further in the Pacific, and the TCFA was cancelled. When the system reached the Andaman Sea on October 25, another TCFA was issued. Shortly after, the convective area consolidated, and it became Tropical Depression 5B on October 25 over the Malay Peninsula. The depression tracked northwestward under the influence of the Subtropical ridge to its north. Warm water temperatures and favorable upper level winds allowed further strengthening, and it became Tropical Storm 5B on October 26, 210 miles (345 km) south-southwest of Yangon, Myanmar.<ref name="npmoc">https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc/atcr/1999atcr/pdf/05b.pdf</ref>
The storm passed to the south of Myanmar and continued to strengthen, and intensified to a cyclone on the 27th in the open Bay of Bengal. On October 28, the cyclone rapidly intensified to a peak of 160 mph (260 km/h) winds, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane.<ref name="npmoc"/>
Just prior to its Indian landfall, the cyclone weakened slightly to a 155 mph (250 km/h) cyclone with an estimated minimum central pressure of <912 mbar.<ref name="rmsi"/> On October 29, the cyclone hit the Indian state of Orissa near the city of Bhubaneswar. The ridge to the north blocked further inland movement, and the cyclone stalled about 30 miles (50 km) inland of the ocean. It slowly weakened, maintaining tropical storm strength as it drifted southward. The cyclone re-emerged into the Bay of Bengal on October 31, and dissipated on November 3 over the open waters.<ref name="npmoc"/>
[edit] Preparations
Tens of thousands of families from the coastal districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, and Ganjam were forced to evacuate their homes before the storm's arrival. More than 44,500 people took shelter in twenty three Red Cross cyclone shelters that were built by the German Red Cross.<ref name="Report No. 28">http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/OCHA-64CGAV?OpenDocument</ref>
[edit] Impact
[edit] India
The cyclone dumped heavy torrential rain over southeast India, causing record breaking flooding in the low-lying areas.<ref name="npmoc"/> A single tidal wave as big as 26 feet (8 meters).<ref name="deforestation">http://forests.org/archive/asia/expsayde.htm</ref> struck the coast of Orissa, traveling up to 20 km.<ref name="Report No. 28"/> 17,110 km² (6,600 mi²) of crops were destroyed. 275,000 homes were destroyed, leaving 1.5 million people homeless.<ref name="zetatalk">http://www.zetatalk.com/theword/tword09o.htm</ref> A total of 9,803 people died from the storm, with 40 others still missing, leading to a possibly higher death toll. 8,119 of those fatalities were from the Jagatsinghpur district. Another 3,312 people were injured.<ref name="npmoc"/> 2,043 out 5,700, or 36% of the residents of Padmapur perished.<ref name="deforestation"/> Another 1.5 million people that survived the storm were left homeless.<ref name="bbc">http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/29/newsid_3691000/3691573.stm</ref> The number of livestock that perished in the cyclone amounted to 406,000.<ref name="npmoc"/> The damage in India resulted from the storm was approximately $4.5 billion (1999 USD, $5.1 billion 2005 USD).<ref name="rmsi"/>
[edit] Myanmar
Ten people in Myanmar were reported to killed by the tropical cyclone, while another 20,000 families were left homeless.<ref name="ifrc">http://www.ifrc.org/docs/appeals/rpts99/in005.pdf</ref>
[edit] Aftermath
The Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) immediately responded with emergency relief. The Orissa state branch extended the emergency relief phase to a three-month relief operation and a six-month rehabilitation program with the help of the Federation. The overall humanitarian response spanned well into the late 2000. The Orissa State Branch (OSB) immediately shipped emergency buffer stocks from the Indian Red Cross headquarters in New Delhi.<ref name="Report No. 28"/> As of October 30, 1999, 50,000 people were evacuated from low-lying flooded areas on the coast of the Ganjan and Jagatsinghpur districts. More people on the coast of Paradeep were evacuated by the West Bengal Government.<ref name="ifrc"/>
The Federation withdrew 200,000 CHF from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to send to India, but the Indian Government refused the money, saying the cyclone was not a national disaster.
Many people died of starvation and diseases after the storm, since rescue workers could not reach everyone in time.<ref name="bbc"/>
[edit] See also
</div>[edit] External links
[edit] References
<references/>
| The most powerful tropical cyclones by area of development or impact | ||||||||
|
Australia |
Central Pacific |
East Pacific |
North Atlantic |
North Indian |
South Indian |
South Pacific |
West Pacific | |
|
Cyclone Inigo (2003) |
Hurricane Ioke (2006) |
Hurricane Linda (1997) |
Hurricane Wilma (2005) |
Cyclone 05B (1999) |
Cyclone Gafilo (2004) |
Cyclone Zoe (2002) |
Typhoon Tip (1979) | |
