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The crazed destruction wrought by the cyclone and the surge of the ocean continued for the next thirty-six hours, although wind speeds had reduced somewhat by the next morning. To escape the waters rising in the house, Prashant and his friend’s family had taken refuge on the roof. Prashant will never forget the shock he experienced at his first glimpse of the devastation wrought by the super cyclone, in the grey light of the early morning. A raging, deadly, brown sheet of water covered everything as far as the eye could see; only fractured cement houses still stood in a few places. Bloated animal carcasses and human corpses floated in every direction. All round even huge old trees had fallen. Two coconut trees had fallen on the roof of their house. This was a blessing in disguise, because the tender coconuts from the trees kept the trapped family from starving in the several days that followed.
Explanation:
The 1999 Odisha cyclone was the most powerful and destructive tropical cyclone ever recorded in the North Indian Ocean.
The cyclone was described by the narrator as "crazed destruction" because it was wildly out of control and destroyed lives and property. Though the cyclone's pace had decreased slightly the next morning, it remained in Orissa for approximately one and a half days (nearly \(45\)hours). And, as a result of the heavy rain, the water level continued to rise.
As the water entered the houses, Prashant and his friend's family had taken refuge on the roof. Even though Prashant couldn't see the cyclone's effects in the dark night, he could realise the cyclone's destructive consequences and began to notice the cyclone's devastating impacts in the early hours of the morning.
People on rooftop during flood
As far as Prashant could see, there was a cover of muddy brown water. There were the remains of shattered houses surrounded by the water. Dead bodies of animals and human beings floated in the water. Huge trees had fallen and were floating around. Two coconut trees had fallen on the roof of their house. Initially, they thought that the trees had damaged the roof and walls of the house, but later realised that this proved to be beneficial for them. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. They ate the tender coconuts off these trees to save themselves from starvation, as they couldn't move from their rooftop.
Meaning of difficult words:
S.No | Words | Meaning |
1. | Wrought | Caused something to happen |
2. | Surge | A sudden and great increase |
3. | Refuge | Protection or shelter from danger |
4. | Glimpse | A brief look at someone or something |
5. | Raging | Very strong or powerful |
6. | Carcass | Dead body of an animal |
7. | Corpse | Refers to a dead body of a human |
8. | Disguise | To change the appearance |
9. | Trapped | In a dangerous or bad situation |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2006). Beehive. Weathering the storm in Ersama - Hasrh Mander (pp.37-42). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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