On a day that Goa was battered by Cyclone Tuaktae the respite came in the form of a drop in COVID-19 positive cases and in the test positivity rate. After having crossed 4000 cases in a day this month, Goa recorded 1314 cases on May 16 and a positivity rate of 33.89 per cent that though still very high has dropped appreciably from the over 50 per cent it had climbed too. Deaths too were down at 43, which bodes well for the week ahead, during which hopefully the number will come down. Goa, this week has to not only cope with the pandemic, but also the cyclone that has left a trail of destruction behind it.
Cyclone Tuaktae is an experience that not many in Goa have had previously. Though there were warnings of the cyclone, this has been the closest a cyclone has come to Goa and so the rain, the wind speeds and the damage is much more than at any other time. The cyclone was reported to be closest to Goa early Sunday morning, but rains and gusty winds continued through the day. Two lives have been lost. Electricity snapped at various parts of the State. It is too early to make an assessment of the damage, but initial assessment indicates that there were at least 50 houses which suffered major damage and double that number had minor damages. Besides the uprooted trees blocked roads at various places, stressing out the Fire and Emergency Services to clear them and make the roads motorable again. By late Sunday evening, the worst of the cyclone was over for the State, though stormy weather is forecast till May 18.
Cyclone Tauktae is the worst to have hit Goa since June 1994. This other cyclone, 27 years ago, also on a Sunday had left a trail of destruction behind it. Since then there have been quite a few others, but the damage of the 1994 had been the worst. It is only when the damage of Cyclone Tuaktae is listed, some comparison may be able to be made.
In June last year it had been Cyclone Nisarga that had come close to Goa and finally made landfall in Maharashtra. Cyclone Kyarr in October 2019 perhaps left a longer impact as it loosened the MV Nu Shi Nalini from its moorings at the Mormugao Port Trust and the ship carrying naphtha was grounded off Dona Paula, causing a major threat of the inflammable chemical leaking. The ship was finally salvaged. Cyclone Vayu in June 2018 was another cyclonic experience for the State. This cyclone had come 500 km from the Goa coast and the State had escaped major damage. The angry sea had lashed itself on the sands of Goa and waters rising above the high tide line had crept inland. Some six months prior to that in December 2017 the State had been affected by Cyclone Ockhi. December being the tourism season the rising sea waters had affected shacks on the beaches.
At least this time Goa was better prepared for the Cyclone with warnings issued by the IMD in advance. The first warning of a depression forming in the Arabian Sea came on May 12, and there were regular updates after that. This was so unlike the time when Cyclone Kyarr hit with the warning of a cyclone coming almost simultaneously with it crossing Goa. Until then it was just a depression that had been forecast. That its passage close to Goa occurred during the night perhaps led to less damage and affected fewer people. This time, with adequate warnings, the Disaster Management response forces of both districts had met and planned for eventualities, were in place and even a team of the National Disaster Response Force was in the State to aid in rescue and salvage efforts.
Over the next few days Goa will have to detail the damage which may take some time and pay compensation where required. The government has already said that it will take a couple of days for complete normalcy to return to the State. Electricity has snapped in various places, including parts of the State capital. In the midst of the pandemic this is not going to be an easy time, especially for the medical services that depend on uninterrupted power supply. Hospitals – government and private – should be given preference. To fight the spread of COVID-19, Goa requires to get back to normal quickly.
