Lessons learnt
1. Adequate advance warning.
Thanks to frequent updates of satellite images and information from a number of excellent websites, STH monitored the progress of the storm from 10May (when it started as a depression, south of the Andaman islands) upto 16May2013 (when it made landfall in Bangladesh).
This is reassuring.
With this lead time available, large scale evacuation of population was possible from low lying areas in Bangladesh and Myanmar and the death toll in this storm was almost negligible compared to Cyclone Sidr which killed 4000 in Bangladesh and Cyclone Nargis which wiped out over 100,000 in Myanmar.
2. Accuracy of predicted movement of the Cyclone.
The movement of the storm was predicted accurately and there was almost no deviation from predicted track except that it strayed 100km northward in the fag end, hence avoiding Myanmar.
This again is reassuring because it is now possible for the average citizen, armed with just a broadband connection and laptop, to empower him/herself about the accurate position/track and movement of major adverse weather systems which might affect their communities.
3. Almost no media attention in India about Cyclone MAHASEN.
Perhaps because Cyclone MAHASEN did not threaten the Indian landmass, all major print and electronic media were largely silent about a huge tropical cyclone shimmying up the eastern coastline.
This was a pity because I found a large number of intelligentsia (let alone the common man on the street) in Kolkata were totally unaware of a storm breathing fire in its close proximity (on 15May2013).
Praful Rao,
Kalimpong
