Personal lessons from Cyclone Hudhud

Vizag has never been through a cyclone like Hudhud in recent memory. Everyone must have learnt something from this mighty storm. Personally, here are the lessons I learnt:
Take it seriously
Like many old timers of Vizag, I assumed that Hudhud would just be another storm - a bit of huff, a bit of puff, a couple of trees down, no power for half a day and then we would all go down to the beach, munch on charcoal roasted corn and watch the sea put up a dramatic show for us.But this hulk of a storm hit us in the solar plexus and knocked us flat out. Lesson learnt ... if the Met says "cyclone heading for Vizag" don't second guess them ... take it seriously, dead seriously.
Make windows and doors water-tight
My apartment took a beating like everyone else's. What worried me most was the ability of the glazed aluminium windows and doors to hold against such high wind pressure and lashing rain. The window frames were moving in ominously and the water got in the house from gaps around the window frame and under the door. As the storm rattled my windows and doors and water started coming into the house, the lesson was clear ... make windows and doors water tight.
Be a torch freak
Much later that night, when the banshee wailing of the storm quietened to a hush, I went around assessing the damage. Without any electricity and lights I needed torches. Luckily, being an irrational torch freak, I had plenty of torches at home, some that were still in their original packing. This irrationality along with some candles helped keep the home bright during those powerless dark evenings following the storm. Lesson learnt ... keep plenty of torches, batteries and candles at home, make light of the darkness.
Managing with just one bucket
The morning after the storm the fun really started. We have no generator in our apartment building. No power, therefore no running water. We tied a rope to a small bucket and started getting water from the sump tank in the basement to my loo on the second floor. "Beats going to the gym," my neighbour commented. I discovered that imparting a swirling action to the water poured into the potty creates a helpful vortex, thereby flushing the contents out with a quarter bucket of water. What would we do without physics education? Then with some tactical use of gravity, starting at the head and ending at the feet, I could have a decent bath with three quarters of the bucket. Lesson learnt ... we don't need much water we just need better technique.
Sleeping with no electricity
I hate to say it but I am fond of air-conditioning. So when I had no AC or even a fan, I was wondering how I would sleep. Then I discovered that secret, hitherto undiscovered parts of the house enjoyed a gentle stirring of breeze during different parts of the day or night. I started seeking out those parts and enjoyed the pure luxury of a gentle draft of air. After a couple of days I learnt that I could sleep quite soundly without a fan. Without TV or electric lights everyone slept early and woke up early next morning ready for water fetching duties. Lesson learnt ... we can sleep without a fan, just get tired and find that breezy draft.
Food and water
Without electricity our fridge went from refrigerator to cupboard in one day. Everything in there had to be jettisoned. That's when we discovered the importance of cooking just as much as was going to be consumed that day. No leftovers. I realised that thanks to our provisions stocking policy at home we were fine for the next four or five days. We did miss fresh milk, but with no kids at home, we managed fine with condensed and powdered milk. But we could have been better prepared with drinking water. Lessons learnt ... don't freak out on stocking up but do keep enough provisions and water for a week.
Gas in vehicles and gen-sets
In the days after the storm, when the streets were full of fallen trees, the scooter was the best means of transport. Though our car had enough diesel, the scooter had run out of petrol. The site of petrol bunks with hundreds of people standing in queue with bottles in their hands dissuaded me from filling up. Many buildings with generators had no diesel to run them. The situation improved dramatically in three or four days but the lesson learnt was simple ... if you are expecting a cyclone - keep the vehicles and generator tanked up.
How to get charged up
The cyclone had ripped out our communications. Some landlines were functional but those of us with the fancy cordless landlines discovered that we couldn't use them without electricity. Digital landline phones that work from the DC power on the phone lines were a saver. Mobile batteries also died and the signals were terrible any way. I had a "battery bank" which helped immensely. I would charge it wherever I got generator power and use it to charge the mobiles at home. The car charger came handy as well. So I could have my mobile phones juiced up even when there was no power.
Communicate
After a disaster like this, while we knew we were fine, outstation family and friends were worried and awaiting news. When mobile signals started trickling through, I found that the best signal for BSNL mobile was in MVP Colony. So I would list out all the calls I had to make and draft out the emails I had to send on my smartphone. Then I would go to MVP double road, sit there for half an hour with my phone plugged into the cigarette lighter socket in the car and finish all the communications for the day. Lessons learnt ... find ways to inform friends, use social media, and communicate.
(The writer is a heritage and environmental conservationist. He can be reached at sohan.hatangadi@gmail.com)