The Hudhud Cyclone at Vishakhapatnam

Vishakhapatnam the port city, beautiful city and excellent tourist spot with its breathtaking beaches and greenery and a haven for tourists and now after the devastation caused by the Hudhud cyclone, the initial place of welcome to tourists, the airport remains as a mute witness to the disaster caused by the storm. Even with all the warnings issued by the Government and the Disaster Management Department fully geared up, one still wonders what went wrong to cause such a major scale catastrophe. The Government has to retrospect on the reason behind the huge damage caused to the airport, all the factors that went into causing the damage should be deeply studied and remedial steps taken so that the structure can withstand any sort of natural calamities it is exposed to in the future.

The first thing that comes to the notice with regards to the damage caused to the Vishakhapatnam airport is that probably the structure was not designed to withstand the required wind speed which is a consideration which should not have been overlooked especially in the coastal areas. Structures can be designed to withstand a wind speed of more than 200 Kmph also; the destruction caused by the Hudhud cyclone was at a wind speed of 170-190 Kmph, so if the wind speed was considered during the construction of the airport such major damage could not have been caused. It is very important that in coastal areas the structures are constructed in such a manner that the roof is properly connected to the body of the structure and the body to the foundation, the connections between the roof to the wall provide uplift resistance which is very important for the roof to be intact during cyclones. In high cyclone prone areas it is always better to go with a hipped or pyramidal roof compared to a gable roof, as it offers more resistance to wind with its increased slope. The other major damage caused during gusty winds and cyclones is the widespread breakage of glass panes due to the high wind pressure and effect of flying objects. To overcome this problem it’s advisable to opt for thicker glass panes, smaller size panels and by pasting paper or plastic strips across the panels.

If all these precautions were taken during the construction of the airport structure the damage caused to the Vishakhapatnam airport probably would not have been so severe. The Hudhud cyclone and its after effects should be taken as a lesson learnt and any future constructions in the coastal areas should be constructed in such a manner so as to withstand wind speed during severe storms and cyclones.