Cyclone Phyan exhumes ghost of 26/7 floods

With every storm warning, paranoid Mumbaikars relive horror of the great floods

Cyclone Phyan exhumes ghost of 26/7 floods

With every storm warning, paranoid Mumbaikars relive horror of the great floods

Gusty winds, high tides and cyclone warnings are words people living in Mumbai don't want to hear.

After having experienced a rough time during the July 26, 2005, floods, which claimed over a thousand lives, residents are petrified of natural calamities.

The possibility of Cyclone Phyan hitting the city yesterday added to the tension.

"So high is the fear factor that whenever there is a high tide or cyclone warning, we end up stocking lots of drinking water and food.

Our fears are probably compounded by the 26/7 floods," said John Arora, who lives near Juhu beach.

Added Tirath Sonpar, an ex-Air India employee, "Till the authorities build faith among Mumbaikars, there will be fear psychosis."

Sherly Singh, a Juhu resident, explained, "The first thing that comes to our mind in such a situation is 26/7.

Now, there are cyclone warnings at regular intervals, including this one in November."

Dr Smita Desai, a psychologist, who cancelled a training programme because of the cyclone, said, "We have to be prepared for the worst all the time."

Though Cyclone Phyan weakened into a tropical storm, it created panic among people.

"I told my family to move to a relatives place in Thane, as a cyclone warning cannot be taken lightly," said Pradeep Shetty, a Versova resident, who was terrified because he was in Tirupathi.

Vinay Pandit was worried whether his 40-year-old building could survive the cyclone. "Heavens forbid if there is a cyclone. I'm not too sure what will happen to our building with 350 residents," he said.

225 disaster management experts rush to Mumbai, Goa

5: The number of coastal states on alert because of Cyclone Phyan

90 kmph: The speed of the wind in the city yesterday

200: Number of fishermen missing in the sea. Thirty trawlers are missing too

Did you know?
The name of the cyclone comes from the Burmese word 'Phyan', which means a cherry fallen off a tree

Gardener Answers Helpline

A gardener answered a u00a0MiD DAY call to the disaster management cell of K (west) ward in Andheri yesterday.

The gardener mumbled in Marathi and said he could not give updates on the cyclone because he was new at the job.

"There is an officer, who is attending a meeting. I don't know how to transfer the call, but I will ask him to call you back," he said before disconnecting the line u00a0without taking the reporter's number.

Activist Shayama Kulkarni from Bandra said it will be in the interest of Mumbai if there is an accurate weather forecast system and a dedicated disaster management team.

Know your Cyclone

Phyan, the name of the newest cyclone, was christened by Myanmar

MET officials from the North Indian Ocean region have a list of names set for cyclones until the end of 2009u00a0u00a0

The next cyclone named by India will be Cyclone Jal

Once a cyclone is named, the name is never used again

The last cyclone named by India was Cyclone Bijli, which hit the subcontinent in Aprilu00a0

Cyclone Aila, the last major cyclone to wreak havoc, was named by the Maldives. It killed nearly 200 peopleu00a0

Officials name cyclones to help in disaster management and preparedness

Other cyclones were named Sidr (Oman), Nargis (Pakistan), Rashmi (Sri Lanka), Khai-Muk (Thailand) and
Nisha (Bangladesh)

Disaster on July 26, 2005

Unprecedented rains and floods claimed over a thousand lives in Mumbai on July 26, 2005.

Mumbai experienced 944 mm of rainfall that day, which brought the city to a standstill. The financial loss is an estimated Rs 450 crore.