Recon for the N. Indian Ocean?

[senorpepr]

Interesting -- may it will help out in IMD's hideous forecasts/analyses.


Aircrafts to probe, assess cyclones in India

New Delhi: India will deploy special aircraft to probe and assess the impact of cyclones in coastal districts of the country and develop a cyclone warning system, an official said here on Thursday.

"Aircrafts can go to a cyclone prone area and make assessments like when the disaster is going to hit the land and at what speed it is going to affect the people living in the coastal areas," M S Reddy, member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.

Reddy was speaking at a function to release national disaster management guidelines on cyclones. Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal released the guidelines.

"The commissioning of Aircraft Probing of Cyclone (APC) facility will help to fill the critical observational data gaps and significantly reduce the margin of error in predicting cyclone track, intensity and landfall (crossing of cyclones from ocean to land area)," Reddy told IANS.

He, however, said the details of the plan are being prepared.

Unveiling the guidelines, Sibal said that 241 districts of India along the coastline are cyclone prone and these guidelines will help officials, disaster management workforce and public in general to reduce both casualties and loss of property.

"Though the number of cyclones experienced in Indian coastline is comparatively less, yet one third of Indians face cyclone. We have seen the damage in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and other states," Sibal said.

The cyclone guidelines were prepared after two years of labour. They have been formulated after a 'nine step' process taking into consultation various ministries, state governments and union territories.

The process included wide consultations with scientific and technical institutions, academics, technocrats and humanitarian organisations. The draft guidelines document was circulated to all the ministries and departments of the central and state governments and union territories for their feedback.

NDMA in its guidelines has identified 10 key areas of cyclone management like establishing of a state-of-the-art cyclone early warning system (EWS) involving observations, predictions, warnings and user-friendly advisories.

The guidelines also asked the states and other stake holders to take up structural mitigation measures like improving infrastructure, construction of multi-purpose cyclone shelters and cattle mounds, and ensuring cyclone resistant design standards in rural and urban housing schemes.

As climate change and subsequent sea level rise can wreak a lot of damage on the country, the guidelines call for setting up of an exclusive eco-system monitoring network to study the impact of climate change.

It has also advised setting up of a National Cyclone Disaster Management Institute in one of the coastal states to address all issues related to cyclone risks.

[Derek Ortt]

they could start by getting competent meteorologists

I fear for the pilots safety. We could see many repeats of the Hugo flight of 1989 based upon how IMD assesses intensity

[Chacor]

They won't send planes to assess cyclones that don't affect it, though.

[Cyclenall]

So they are finally going to send planes in these things. When will it start and will the live data be sent over in the Internet?

[HURAKAN]

Great idea.

[Category 5]

they could start by getting competent meteorologists

I fear for the pilots safety. We could see many repeats of the Hugo flight of 1989 based upon how IMD assesses intensity

Took the words right out of my mouth. With IMD's excellence in intensity estimating, this could lead to problems.

[masaji79]

It really is a shame that only the Atlantic has Hurricane Hunters. Too bad the Navy doesn't fly into West Pacific Typhoons like they used to.

[Derek Ortt]

AF is flying WPAC this season as a part of a field program

[Chacor]

They also flew two storms back in 2003 for some reason.

[CrazyC83]

That would be a good place for Aerosondes.

[cycloneye]

Like this unmanned plane.

[Derek Ortt]

they are not wasting aerosondes for the WPAC

Aerosondes are flying out of Barbados (FAA will not permit them to fly out of the USA... maybe the military should take over the Aerosonde operation to get around that silly FAA rule)

[pojo]

AF is flying WPAC this season as a part of a field program

we are actually dropping buoys..... if there is a storm, then maybe CARCAT will task us..... its just depends on the season while we are out there.

[P.K.]

They won't send planes to assess cyclones that don't affect it, though.

Which would be similar to what Taiwan do. The question with this is if it would just be synoptic flights (As with Taiwan) or also flights into the centre of storms themselves (As with the USA).

[Derek Ortt]

speaking of recon,

It would be nice to see France start to fly some planes into the Atlantic storms east of the Caribbean. France is the first major country that is threatened; thus, maybe they should contribute an aircraft or two for recon

[CrazyC83]

Maybe they can get an agreement with Cape Verde for those storms east of 45W?

[Derek Ortt]

lets be realistic

It is unlikely that CV has the resources to fly storms that are moving away from their territory.t would truly be a waste of money for CV to fly.

NOAA can reach 40W, but would be nice if France would take some of the burden

[CrazyC83]

Agreement meaning funded and operated by western countries, flying from Cape Verde in a lease deal to access the eastern Atlantic.

[cycloneye]

Maybe they can get an agreement with Cape Verde for those storms east of 45W?

What Derek is referring to are the French Posesions in the Eastern Caribbean such as Martinique,Guadeloupe and the French part of St Marteen.

[Category 5]

IMD's new aircraft in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZxMreSZ-Ps

Considering IMD's track record, I think it's a step in the right direction don't you? Now if they could only fix their intensity forecasts.