1839 Coringa cyclone

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Short description|Devastating tropical cyclone that affected the town of Coringa}}On 25 November 1839, the port city of [[Coringa, East Godavari district|Coringa]] in present-day [[Andhra Pradesh]] on the southeastern coast of [[British India]] was battered by a [[tropical cyclone]] that destroyed the harbour. Known as the '''1839 Coringa cyclone''' and sometimes also referred to as the '''1839 India cyclone''' and '''1839 Andhra Pradesh cyclone''', its [[storm surge]] caused widespread damage. It killed over 300,000 people, making it the second-deadliest storm worldwide after the [[1970 Bhola cyclone]]. Many ships were destroyed and houses were washed out by rising rivers and streams. Croplands were inundated and many animals drowned due to the floods and storm surge.

The port city was not rebuilt after the cyclone. Some individuals who survived the disaster rebuilt their homes far from the coast. Some British officials named the area Hope Island, hoping to protect the city from future environmental disasters.

== Background == [[File:The aftermath of the 1839 Coringa cyclone.jpg|thumb|The wide swath of damages from the 1839 cyclone]] [[Coringa, East Godavari district|Coringa]] is a harbour city situated on the [[Bay of Bengal]], near the mouth of the [[Godavari River]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=10 October 2017|title=Hell on Earth: 12 of History's Most Destructive Natural Disasters|url=https://historycollection.com/12-historys-remarkable-natural-disasters/|access-date=5 May 2021|website=HistoryCollection.com|language=en-US}}</ref> The population of the area is ten million and the harbor is a busy place of commerce, with the said area hoisting thousands of international ships and cargoes.<ref name=":0" />

In 1789, a different cyclone passed near the area, generating a large storm surge that killed over 20,000.<ref name=":0" /> Large ships sank in the rough waters off the Bay of Bengal and rice fields were destroyed by floods and wave surges.<ref name=":0" /> The city was almost wrecked, but managed to recover.{{Cn|date=May 2024}} After the city was rebuilt, the harbour became more active than it had been before.{{Cn|date=May 2024}} The cyclone is dubbed in modern times ''The Great Coringa cyclone''.<ref name=":0" />

Many ships passing through or near the port city started to observe a rainy pattern on 24 November 1839, a day before the cyclone made landfall. The stormy weather stopped on 26 November 1839, based on ship logs.<ref name=":10"/>

== Impact and aftermath == On 25 November 1839, the cyclone struck Coringa, generating a large 40-foot storm surge that completely destroyed the area.<ref name=":0"/> In comparison to the 1789 storm, the damages were much worse.<ref name=":0"/> All 200,000 ships in the harbour were destroyed and houses were washed away.<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Desk|first=India TV News|date=21 October 2013|title=Top 10 natural disasters that rocked India|url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/top-10-natural-disasters-that-rocked-india-29492.html|access-date=6 May 2021|website=www.indiatvnews.com|language=en}}</ref> Trees were washed away and other structures in the city sustained damage.<ref name=":11">{{Cite book|last=Tomlinson|first=Charles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wTtWAAAAcAAJ&q=1839+coringa+cyclone&pg=PA226|title=The Tempest: an Account of the Origin and Phenomena of Wind, in Various Parts of the World|date=1861|publisher=Christian Knowledge Society|language=en}}</ref> Cropland and sugarcane reaps flooded.<ref name=":11"/> The storm killed an estimated 300,000 individuals inland and at sea, making it the second-deadliest [[tropical cyclone]] worldwide, behind the [[1970 Bhola cyclone]].<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2005/12/02/stories/2005120201842000.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806133654/http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2005/12/02/stories/2005120201842000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 August 2012|title=This storm is like a lasting match|last=Murali|first=D.|year=2005|publisher=The Hindu Business Line|accessdate=6 May 2021}}</ref> Only a few people survived the brunt of the cyclone, however.<ref name=":0"/> Cattle and some animals inland drowned in the storm surge.<ref name=":10">{{cite journal|title=A Second Memoir with reference to the THeory of the Law of Storms in India- Coringa Hurricane of November, 1839, with other Storms.|journal=Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal|volume= 9|pages=107–133|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39938330|year=1840}}</ref>

After the disaster, the survivors made no effort to rebuild the port.<ref name=":0"/> Most of them decided to migrate, staying away from the "cursed city". Some individuals left the coast to reconstruct their community, far inland.<ref name=":0"/> The region was dubbed Hope Island{{#tag:ref|Different from [[Hope Island (India)|Hope Island]], which is located near [[Kakinada]], Andhra Pradesh.|group="nb"}} by British officials.<ref name=":0"/>

An official of the [[British East India Company]], [[Henry Piddington]], coined the term ''cyclone'' in his reports for the first time while observing the swath of destruction made by the 1789 and 1839 storms.<ref name=":10"/> The word itself means ''the coil of a snake''.<ref name=":10"/>

== See also == {{portal|Tropical cyclones}} *[[1737 Calcutta cyclone]] – a cyclone that caused a wide swath of destruction to Calcutta during the 18th century. *[[1864 Calcutta cyclone]] – another cyclone that devastated [[Calcutta]] during the 19th century.

==Notes== {{reflist|group =nb}}

== References ==  {{reflist}}

== External links == {{Super cyclonic storms}} *[https://www.droughtmanagement.info/literature/IDNDR_indian_experiences_and_initiatives_1999.pdf The tally of the deadliest tropical cyclones in India] {{DEFAULTSORT:Coringa cyclone}} [[Category:Tropical cyclones in India]] [[Category:1839 natural disasters]] [[Category:1839 in India]]