Once again we are getting warnings that a tropical cyclone in the Arabian sea may hit Karachi city - So once again, (if it hits), I will bring to you pictures from the front row seat! But so far I don't see anything out of the ordinary here. Perhaps this is the calm before the storm at SeaView beach of Karachi...
Hang on tight! I expect your house is well protected with a wall? or does the water jump the wall and cause havoc? Now i understand why the roof would be the best place for the garden...i saw your lovely peppers and eggplant on some post here. Keep us posted on your cyclone, up close and personal.
Thank for wishing me well Vitrsna! Everybody is OK here, every home is built from concrete and with solid steel ribbed rebars in every pillar and beam (according to the building code). So unless there is a tidal wave or a storm surge which somehow raises the ocean level above 40 feet of normal - There isn't much that the cyclone can do to us! So this is somewhat of an exciting time for me, as I now get another chance to observe and record some data, (specially when it comes to how people behave in a stressful and/or challenging situation). There were a few cyclone warnings before in the fast - But none of them ever hit Karachi directly. I really like to know how people will behave, as I can (for the future) become better equipped when it comes to planing and designing. For example, in architecture the passage way in and out of a large stadium is often referred to as a "vomitorium" (as it vomits out the flow of people). Now it is very clearly known at what speed average people walk and run - But not clearly understood how everyone in a panic will behave? So if the passageway is narrow, will there be a stampede? If so, how many will be injured? And what kind of injuries will they have? Therefore what could be done in future designs so that such a thing isn't repeated? Of course, this is an example of architecture - But I am not really interested in urban planning... I am more into understanding exactly what does it take for a normal person to either panic and injure him or herself. Or, what exactly are the situations in which an ordinary individual may end up doing something heroic and totally unexpected? So getting this type of actual real life data, that deals with our mental abilities, is what has always eluded me in life...
Oh don't worry Frank, I'm fine - And so is everyone else I know! I'm just charging my camera and cell phone, plus a few extra batteries right now. After which I'll be going to the national oceanographic institute to get the latest update from them! Navy people are right now too busy to talk, as they are getting ready for the worst, nothing to panic about actually, it's just their SOP (standard operating procedure) in such situations... And that picture isn't from my home, it was taken yesterday from the 3rd floor of the Hyperstar Shopping Mall of Karachi, (as I went there to gather all emergency supplies) - Plus I also wanted to try out that new aircraft head-up display app on my android phone... So I'm sure all those cars will be gone by the time that cyclone hits. However, it sure will be damn interesting to observe someone who (despite all the warnings) did leave his car parked in such a spot!
Looks like. as of a few hours ago, Cyclone Ashobaa has changed it's path and will hit land as a minimal cyclone in Oman? Is that the info you are now getting? Hope so, that means you all will get more rough surf than damaging wind. Our tropical hurricane season is supposedly going to be minimal this year because of the El Niño sitting off the west coast of South America. Maybe only 3-6 with only 2 of those being major.
Yes Toni, that is correct. It is no longer a threat to anyone. So once again I missed - Or rather I should say that I was denied the opportunity of collecting/recording data... Sigh... http://aviationweather.gov/data/obs/sat/intl/ir_ICAO-E.jpg http://aviationweather.gov/data/obs/sat/intl/ir_ICAO-E_bw.jpg However it was still fun observing the psychological effect it had on some people! Which was downright comical to watch if you ask me! It actually reminded me of some episodes of the Monty Python TV show!!!...
Hi S-H...you are waiting for the first cyclone of the year, Dinu is waiting for the first monsoon of the year, i am waiting for the first hurricane of the year. Is anyone else waiting for some weather? A couple of years ago all of Mexico was hit by 2 hurricanes in the same day, and they both stayed around for awhile (like a week). One hurricane came from the Pacific and the other one from the Atlantic. They say this happens about once every 40 years. From the inside looking out, the rain looked like a solid sheet of steel...as though if you went outside you would run into this sheet of steel and knock yourself out. It was the most rain and rain related devastation in the meteorological history of Mexico. The storms that come off the Pacific usually hit Colima at about 3 pm, and Guadalajara about 5pm. I like the ones that rage all night and in the morning the sun comes out. Those are the ones the garden likes best too. We rarely loose power. Right now am enjoying the peacefulness and gentleness of an occasional light, warm rain but i expect soon it will be KABLOOIE! Let's hope we all get lots of rain with minimal devastation.
Actually, the last cyclone Karachi ever had was in 1977 I think, with over 8 inches of rain in a few hours. But after that there was nothing else that could match this... There were of course some very close calls. But they haven't amounted to much in recent history. As usually these cyclones either go towards the East, and sometimes towards the West, (missing Karachi my just a few miles)... Legend says that the Islamic Sufi Saint named Abdullah Shah Ghazi (who many say is the spiritual patron of Karachi), is always protecting the city from ruin. As he too is buried at the coast, and his shrine also is a very popular landmark today. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_Shah_Ghazi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_Shah_Ghazi_Mausoleum However, my mind is only satisfied if something can be explained scientifically. Otherwise I'm tempted to dismiss it... Anyway, to cut a long story short, I had heard many stories of that 1977 downpour (but I myself was too young to remember any of it). So I always wanted to witness something like that, and observe/record the behavior of people during such a challenging time - But so far I have (in the last few weeks) only observed one idiot who came to the beach trembling with fear. And after setting just one foot on the sand, he quickly turned 180 degrees and ran away with such speed, that it would have even put an Olympic sprinter to shame! Of course, seeing an ordinary man run so fast made me listen very closely to the surrounding noise, in case I'd catch an echo of someone screaming "Run Forest Run", (as that would have explained this kind of behavior). But a few seconds after this I saw a car hit him (causing only minor injuries). Seems the driver of the car too was also looking at the ocean, while driving parallel to the beach. So it's this kind of crazy human behavior that I find interesting to record at such times... The driver of the car was no doubt irresponsible, but he must have only became like that because of the cyclone's news. While the first guy, well, I'm still not sure exactly what was wrong with him. As he seemed too scared by the sea. But if you are that scared, then why come to the beach in the first place??? Of course this kind of crazy mental state also was probably brought on by the cyclone's news I am sure. So pondering over things like these is what can be considered as bed time reading for me, (think of it as a hobby)! As I'm really interested in getting to the bottom of why majority of the people instantly turn into idiots, while a few otherwise ordinary people instantly become brave and end up doing something heroic. But unfortunately, I didn't come across any heroes this time... Which mainly is because the cyclone didn't hit.
Oh my goodness, this sheds a very different light on things. I was assuming (never a good idea) that cyclones are an annual event for you and part of your climate like hurricanes and tropical storms are here. Now that i know they are maybe every 40 or 50 year events, it is a whole different story being a major event rather than an expected annual one. So i understand now that this is BIG news for the people of Karachi.
Yes cyclones are a rare occurrence here. But in the last one and a half decade, we seem to be getting more and more warnings (at a steadily increasing rate). And this no doubt is due to some gradual change in the environment. However I don't understand why, but whenever I mention the dreaded words of "climate change" or "global warming" - People instantly draw out their butcher's cleaver... So I just wonder why does everyone still like to live in denial??? Don't they too have a fully working set of eyes of their own? Just ignoring the problem won't make it go away, (if that's what they think)... Yet they still argue and bitterly fight over this - I guess *deny till you die* is the motto they live by!
Do you know the expression "ignorance is bliss", S-H? If that is true there should be millions of blissful people out there, but that doesn't appear to be the case. So, apparently playing the ignorance card is not doing the job it should. If people were not in denial, they would have to initiate some changes in their lives and i guess that concept is too radical for many people to confront.
And so with them (as in the great ignorant majority), we too will in the end get dragged under - Unless of course we can escape, almost exactly like being in the Ark of prophet Noah... However this time we'll have to escape from the while planet, (not move from one side of it to another), as now the whole Earth is slowly being poisoned beyond repair... See this video: Which I guess is why I am so curious to learn about human behavior during challenging situations. What makes the majority panic and/or start doing hopelessly stupid things? While a small number of people (who otherwise are totally ordinary looking) end up doing something totally unexpected and downright heroic! So it's that special breed of like mimed people that I seek to observe, record, and maybe even get to know... While the rest panicky bunch I simply don't care about, for they always were, still are, and forever will remain a constant burden on the resources. So to them all I simply say: Your fate is your own! While I continue with being a doomsday prepper - Always ready for anything that is thrown at me, be it by nature, or by other people! For I actually live by only one motto: *Ye shall die before I*!!!
