Weather in the NEWS
November 1999
Cyclone devastation in India |
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The Indian state of Orissa felt the devastating blast of weather conditions at the end of October. A severe cyclone
hit the region on October 17th and was then followed by one of the strongest cyclones in livving memory - a full
Category 5 event on October 29th. This super-cyclone brought winds in excess of 170 mph and was accompanied by
torrential rain, floods and a high tidal surge.
The impact of this natural disaster was to leave over 1.5 Million people homeless - with thousands dead and the regional agriculture devastated. India's national newspaper, The Hindu, wrote: "If there is hell on earth at the moment it is probably the scores of villages that come under the Ersama block of Jagatsinghpur district, which suffered huge losses to human lives in the supercyclone that hit Orissa on October 29. Human bodies and animal carcasses are still lying unattended in several villages." "The State Government, which put the death toll in Ersama block at 5,300 on Wednesday, has not added to the number till Friday evening. But Government officials at work in Ersama said several bodies were lying unattended in several villages under the block. Going by the accounts of the local people, one can arrive at a figure of 8,000 dead in Ersama block alone. In Bhubaneswar, the Government today put the total toll at 7,656 with Jagatsinghpur district accounting for 6,383, the figure which was given on Wednesday." "Even 15 days after the cyclone struck, the authorities have so far not been able to provide sufficient relief to the survivors and remove the corpses and animal carcasses. While animal carcasses are lying scattered all over, several corpses were seen lying in the devastated paddy fields surrounding the villages that remain inaccessible by road." "On the other hand, cases of diarrhoea and fever are fast rising in the area. The only public health centre at Ersama is overflowing with patients suffering from gastroenteritis and diarrhoeal disorders." In Britain, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is co-ordinating the fund raising activities of a group of major relief charities. Donations to aid the relief work can be made at all banks and Post Offices. |
Winter storms bring destruction to Europe |
12th November 1999 - Meteosat visible band image |
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A series of storms have left parts of Europe reeling from weather damage.
On 12th November, severe rainfall across SW France and the Pyrennees left 19 dead with many others missing. Torrential rain across the watersheds of the Tarn and Aude rivers set off mudslides and flooded large areas. The image (above) from Meteosat, shows the strong banks of cloud moving across the Pyrennees and over Southern France. Earlier in the month, unusual storm conditions across Southern England left a trail of damage. At Calshot, in Hampshire, a series of mini-tornadoes overturned beach huts and a caravan and blew out windows before moving across the Solent to cause further damage in Hill Head. At Bognor Regis, the seaward part of the pier was seriously damaged Heavy rainfall over Scotland and Northern England has caused further flooding and damage. |
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Earlier news pages are also available: 1999
1998
Page update: October 1999
Online weather resources: St. Vincent College
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