Cyclone Sidr: Nov 15, 2007

 Cyclone Sidr is the 4th named storm of the '07 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. The storm formed in the central Bay of Bengal, & quickly strengthened to reach peak sustained winds of 215 km/h (135 mp/h), which would make it a Category-4 equivalent tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. The storm eventually made landfall near Bangladesh on Nov 15 '07. The storm caused large-scale evacuations in Bangladesh. So far, 3,447 deaths have been blamed on the storm, with that number expected to rise.

The name 'SIDR' was contributed by Oman; it is an Arabic name of a tree belonging to the genus 'Ziziphus'. On 15th Nov the cyclone intensified to reach peak winds of 215 km/h (135 mph), & a peak of 250 km/h (155 mph). Sidr officially made landfall around 1700 UTC later that day, with sustained winds of 215 km/h (135 mph). It weakened quickly after landfall and the final advisories were issued early on Nov 16.

Coastal districts of Bangladesh faced heavy rainfall as an early impact of the cyclone. Dhaka & other parts of Bangladesh experienced drizzle & gusty winds. Total damages came close to $450 million. The damage in Bangladesh was extensive, including tin shacks flattened, houses & schools blown away & enormous tree damage. Some local officials have described the damage as being even worse than that from the 1991 cyclone. The entire cities of Patuakhali, Barguna & Jhalokati District were hit hard by the storm surge of over 5 meters (16 ft). About a quarter of the world heritage site 'Sundarbans' were damaged. Researchers said 'mangrove' forest Sundarban will take at least 40 years to recover itself from this catastrophe. Much of the capital city of Dhaka was also severely affected, as electricity & water service were cut & significant damage was reported there due to winds & flooding. The local agricultural industry was also devastated, as many rice crops - which have a Dec harvest - were lost.

Below the pic is before & after Sidr in Sunderban