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THREAD: For @MongabayIndia I report on the varied impacts of last week's #CycloneNivar from its landfall area around Marakkanam & Puducherry.
Every1 is joyous that impact is less, so here I am to highlight 2 pts as to why its not..
https://india.mongabay.com/2020/12/though-cyclone-nivar-had-a-soft-landing-floods-hit-coastal-districts/ (1/11)
Every1 is joyous that impact is less, so here I am to highlight 2 pts as to why its not..
https://india.mongabay.com/2020/12/though-cyclone-nivar-had-a-soft-landing-floods-hit-coastal-districts/ (1/11)
Chennai saw its worst floods around this time 5 yrs ago. Nivar missed Chennai this yr & we were spared a repeat nightmare. Yes, damage is less compared to previous cyclones/floods. There are congratulatory articles etc saying we were better prepared this time. (2)
@chennaicorp
@chennaicorp
But as @NityJayaraman says "it was sheer Providence." Nivar brought unprecedented rainfall, parts of Chennai were and are badly flooded. Its urban planners have taken the importance of wetlands, creeks and river flows for granted for years. (3)
@IMDWeather said another more rains in the coming weeks as a depression area is headed towards south Tamil Nadu and will bring rains across the state. So parts of Chennai will continue to slowly drown and citizens will be displaced. (4) https://india.mongabay.com/2020/12/though-cyclone-nivar-had-a-soft-landing-floods-hit-coastal-districts/
Ppl are happy with the efforts & alertness of administration. Indeed, it was way better than last time. But it will always depend on who you are. remember working class, poor area in Chennai=flooding=displacement+food packets. Rich, UC area=tree removal service at door step. (5)
Add to that impact of COVID-19 (Chennai had 1 of the highest case counts) on livelihoods & continued threat of infection in cyclone shelters (2.7 lakh ppl were rescued/in camps). This is a real disaster in many ways for working class & poorer houses.This isnt over #Nivar (6)
2. Fishermen said they haul their nets & boats inland & back to the sea every time there is a cyclone warning. Fishermen I met in Cuddalore & Villupuram said they had just bought the boats back to the beach and were repairing the damages this causes when next warning came.(7)
So back inland. Try doing that for thousands of boats, its tedious. They haven't worked for over a week. Many ppl have seen more than 4-5 cyclones, they live on the edge, their lives repeatedly scarred. For these ppl, climate change is real. (8) https://india.mongabay.com/2020/12/though-cyclone-nivar-had-a-soft-landing-floods-hit-coastal-districts/
Its an experience they live through every day, every season. They are in and out of shelters, and their work keeps getting interrupted. But sure, we want to build more ports, townships and whatnot on the shores. (9)
Everyone is glad Cyclone Nivar was mild, but lets not fool ourselves that our preparation is enough. We are making the lives of those on the shores a lot worse. There's a lot to be done by everyone for us to be truly prepared for disasters. This needs to be inclusive.(10)
The impact of disasters differs on basis of your caste, class, livelihood, gender and a lot more. We are yet to erase that from our disaster response. @AvoidableN @ekpotleeretki @poojakum @dakshin_seas @careearthtrust @ICSF1 @UNDP @UNDP_India @UNFCCC @SustDev @UNOCHA (Lefin)
