THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary-December 14, 2016- Topic 1
A year after the devastating deluge, Chennai’s resilience
has been challenged by the severe cyclonic storm, Vardah. Equipped with
survival lessons from the December
2015 floods and helped by an
efficient flow of disaster warning messages, the city and neighbouring
districts held together through several hours of fierce winds. Chennai’s trees
bore the brunt, many uprooted or torn down irredeemably. The storm hobbled the
city’s infrastructure by nightfall, downing power and communication cables,
blocking roads, disrupting rail and air transport, and spreading a carpet of
darkness. It is to the Tamil Nadu government’s credit that basic mobility was
restored overnight, and fallen trees were removed to allow some traffic to ply.
Vardah also demonstrated that in the time of social media and the Internet,
speedy official and community messages can influence the outcome of a
catastrophe. While economic damage was inevitable, cautionary advice put out on
social platforms urging people to stay safe helped reduce the number of
casualties. Remarkably, the community also responded with alacrity, creating
online groups and sharing messages offering help and advice. It is of course
possible to learn even more by going back to citizens and harnessing data on
their experience using online tools.
Tropical storms are an annual affair,
with the more vulnerable eastern coast taking a pummelling from 92 severe
cyclones out of a total of 262 between 1891 and 1990, and several more in the
years since. Such weather events are a part of the climate system, and their
impact in the form of economic losses could well be greater going forward, as
development creates more assets in coastal cities. It is vital, therefore, that
the learnings from each event are shared nationally, and the capacity of
officials and communities to manage disasters built continuously. Such an
approach helps coastal regions in the United States prepare for and deal with
storms better. Among the securities available to individuals in many countries
is insurance against property losses. Viable policies should be made available
in India too, as this would bring scrutiny on administrative measures and
potentially improve outcomes. A citywide blackout also underscores the
importance of rooftop solar and battery storage systems as supplementary power
sources for households and corporates. Planting trees with strong root systems
and pruning the canopy ahead of cyclone season could reduce uprooting. In the
aftermath of Vardah, the Tamil Nadu government should restore infrastructure
and provide priority relief to the families of those who lost their lives, and
the worst-hit communities.
Vocabulary
Deluge: a severe flood.
Example: But the scale of last year's flooding surpassed these previous deluges ,
with 45 square kilometres of land submerged.
Synonyms: flood, torrent, spate
Resilience: the ability of a substance or
object to spring back into shape; elasticity.
Example: Nylon is excellent in wearability and resilience
Fierce: having or displaying an intense or ferocious
aggressiveness.
Example: As women, we need to accept that we can be fierce, cunning, and predatory
Synonyms: ferocious, savage, vicious, aggressive
Brunt: the worst part or chief impact of a specified thing.
Example: Education will bear the brunt of the cuts
Synonyms: full force, force, impact, shock, burden, pressure, weight, effect
Uprooted: pull something, especially a tree or plant out of the
ground.
Example: The elephant's trunk is powerful enough to uproot trees
Synonyms: pull up, root out, rip out, deracinate
Torn: move very quickly, typically in a reckless or excited
manner.
Example: She tore along the footpath on her bike
Synonyms: sprint, race, run, dart, rush, dash, hasten, hurry, bolt, fly
Irredeemable: not able to be saved,
improved, or corrected.
Example: So many irredeemable mistakes have been made
Catastrophe: an event causing great and
often sudden damage or suffering; a disaster.
Example: A national economic catastrophe
Synonyms: disaster, calamity, cataclysm, holocaust, havoc, ruin, ruination
Inevitable: certain to happen;
unavoidable.
Example: War was inevitable
Synonyms: unavoidable, inescapable, inexorable, ineluctable, assured
Alacrity: brisk and cheerful readiness.
Example: She accepted the invitation with alacrity
Synonyms: eagerness, willingness, readiness, enthusiasm, ardor, avidity
Vulnerable: susceptible to physical or
emotional attack or harm.
Example: We were in a vulnerable position
Synonyms: helpless, defenseless, powerless, impotent, weak, susceptible
Viable: capable of working successfully; feasible.
Example: The proposed investment was economically viable
Synonyms: feasible, workable, practicable, practical, usable, possible
Aftermath: the consequences or aftereffects of a significant
unpleasant event.
Example: Food prices soared in the aftermath of the drought
Synonyms: repercussions, aftereffects, consequences, effects