05th of April 2016
Essay Outline
I. Introduction Paragraph – (Funnel Style)
- Natural disasters is a violation of normal life of the people
- Natural disaster happened in India in 2015
Thesis statement: This essay will look at the floods that washed the South of India in 2015.
II. Body Paragraphs
1. Supporting idea: The state of Tamil Nadu suffered due to nonstop downpour
a) Example/detail: The rainy season did not stop as planned / it rained for 5 weeks
b) source / evidence: The Telegraph, AccuWeather.com
2. Supporting idea: The water level increased significantly
a) Example/detail: everything was flooded,
b) Example/detail: people moved belongings to upper floors
1. Supporting idea: People were sent to help deal with the natural disaster
a) Example/detail: troops, rescue teams and volunteers helped to resolve the issues
2. Supporting idea: people were hastily evacuated
a) Example/detail: temporary camps were set up on dry ground
b) Example/detail: 60 thousand people were evacuated
1. Supporting idea: People were forced to suffer a severe blow from nature
a) detail: 6 million people of Chennai were in danger
b) source / evidence: bbc.com
2. Supporting idea: significant damage to infrastructure and people
a) detail: buildings were flooded
b) detail: 3 million people left without access to fresh water
III. Conclusion
havoc and destruction
rise of the water level
heroism of the rescue teams
basic necessities for people
safety comes first
More than 500 people were killed, about 60 thousand lost their property and homes and were evacuated to safe places because of floods in the south of India in the state of Tamil Nadu. Most of the victims were residents of Chennai (the state capital) and two neighboring districts (“Chennai hit by more rain,” 2015). The flooding of vast territories was the result of a whole downpour which continued for several weeks before the tragedy occurred. Administrative staff Chennai city center, as well as several nearby counties, declared the city zone as the disaster area. The rainy season in accordance with the seasonal schedule should have ended long ago. However, lasting over a period of more than the last five weeks in the southeast of India was observed an unusual for this period heavy rain. In total, in November Chennai set a new record for the maximum amount of monthly precipitation (Leister, 2015).
The water level in the city streets was up by one and a half meters, the population was trying to save the remnants of the property, moving it to the upper floors of buildings (Ravishankar, 2015). Nature flooded several subway lines. In large parts of the state, there were submerged railway tracks and highways; in a number of areas, electricity supply was disrupted (“Chennai hit by more rain,” 2015). In Kanchipuram, the ancient religious and cultural center, one of the seven sacred cities of India, water was present in most churches and places of worship. With all the available boats, rescuers evacuated to safe areas away over 16 thousand men. In the most affected parts of the cities are closed all educational institutions. Exams that were to take place at this time were indefinitely transferred.
The government sent to the zone of the natural disaster a set of rescue teams to provide emergency assistance to the population, volunteers, volunteers deliver food and drinking water in areas cut off by flooding (Burke, 2015). The operation involved more than 500 employees of the national response force, army units, as well as the Indian Air Force helicopters. At least 10,000 police officers and swimmers have also been employed in the rescue effort. From dangerous areas were evacuated more than 60 thousand people which were then housed in temporary camps. The state authorities have announced the allocation of special funds to help the public and the affected areas overcome the disaster (“Indian troops battle,” 2015).
According to authorities, only over the last day to the hospitals of the state capital Chennai were taken 45 dead. The police reported that electric shock killed about half the victims when they were in the water. In this regard, the city decided to turn off the electricity. The Ministry of Home Affairs clarified that in Chennai, home to 6 million people, the water level reaches a staggering one and a half or two meters (“Indian troops battle,” 2015). It closed all educational institutions, factories were shut down. Chennai International Airport was closed from 1 December, and rail and other road links were interrupted to the city (Burke, 2015). According to the army and rescue services since from the beginning of the floods, the state had to accommodate almost 250 thousand people in temporary camps. As confirmed by officials of the India Meteorological Department, the El Niño phenomenon has played a leading role in the flood in Chennai (Ravishankar, 2015). Three million people were left without access to food and clean drinking water, authorities conducted search and rescue operations. Entire villages have been submerged under water and thousands of homes were severely damaged. Floods have affected the large urban area with a population of more than 9 million people (Burke, 2015). It also reported on the extensive flooding of agricultural lands and the destruction of a large number of residential buildings.
All of this could have been prevented had the local government and authorities paid more attention to the forecast system as well as invested money into the emergency teams within the district.
The natural disaster that hit India in 2015 caused a lot of havoc and destruction. Due to the rains, which lasted over a period of more than 5 weeks the water level, rose. First one and eventually two meters of water flooded not only one house, or street, or part of town, the whole district was under water. All the institution were closed and the rescue service teams had to move around in boats searching for survivors. Additional field hospitals and shelters were set up to facilitate the people with the much-needed water, but even they could not help the almost 3 million who were in dire need of the most basic human necessities. This event has taught the people that it is never too late to worry about one’s safety and that despite the rare occurrence, the government has to be ready for any catastrophe that will befall their people at home.
Bibliography
Burke, J. 2015. South India floods leave three million cut off from basic services. The Guardian [Online]. Available at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/03/india-army-struggles-to-rescue-survivors-as-flood-death-toll-nears-270. [Accessed: 05 April 2016].
“Chennai hit by more rain as deadly flooding causes chaos at airports in south India.” The Telegraph [Online]. Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/12028397/Chennai-hit-by-more-rain-as-deadly-flooding-causes-chaos-at-airports.html. [Accessed: 05 April 2016]
“Indian troops battle deadly flooding in Chennai.” BBC [Online]. Available at http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-34981246. [Accessed: 05 April 2016].
Leister, E. 2015. Chennai, India Records Wettest December Day in Over 100 Years. AccuWeather.com [Online]. Available at http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/india-tamil-nadu-chennai-flooding-continues-wet-november/53943597. [Accessed: 05 April 2016]
Ravishankar, S. 2015. Record rains flood south Indian state; more to come. Reuters [Online]. Available at http://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-flood-idUSKBN0TL0CW20151202. [Accessed: 05 April 2016].
