Vardah Cyclone Damage to Chennai Airport

The passage of cyclone Vardah that lashed Chennai on 12^th December brought back memories of the devastating flash floods witnessed by the city in 2015. With wind speeds in excess of 100kmph, Cyclone Vardah disrupted power supply leading to suspension of train and flight services.  The industry body Assocham, in a report published by Business Standard, estimated the overall destruction trail worth up to $1 billion.

Such was the fury of the cyclone that Chennai airport had to suspend all operations for the full day on 12th December. The airport was however able to resume functions the next day allowing for 39 aircraft takeoff and landings. 

With thousands of uprooted trees, broken billboards and damaged power transmission lines, the life of the common man in Chennai took a major dent. Real estate portals like property.sulekha.com have estimated that the Cyclone damaged many residential houses and projects in the city due to high velocity winds and heavy rain. Thankfully, there was no major loss of life as the government with its planning made sure that people in the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu were evacuated to safety.

As part of its proactive planning and safety measures, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) suspended all operations at the Chennai airport. Over 25 incoming flights were diverted to different locations to ensure passenger safety. The Chennai airport issued NOTAM (notice to airmen) which is a notice to alert aircraft pilots of a potential hazard on the route or affected area. High speed winds of the cyclone meant airport radars had to be shut down completely along with power disruptions in the ATC complex. Thankfully there was no major damage to the runways as once the high intensity winds and rains subsided, the airport was able to resume functions from next day morning.

While there is nothing much one can do to avoid natural disasters like cyclones and earthquakes but the preparedness of the city administration ensured the damage was minimal. Unlike the severe damage caused by the flash floods in 2015, cyclone Vardah passed on peacefully and with reduced intensity.