Simulation Game: Crisis Management-Chapter 324 - 159: National Crisis (Part 2)

However, this does not affect Gu Ji’s analysis of the future trends of the tropical depression.

According to model predictions, the tropical depression made landfall near Bangladesh, radiating to Assam in Northeast India and West Bengal to the west, which is also the main reason for the current heavy rain in Assam.

As time changes, the tropical depression began to deflect.

Influenced by the continental mountains, the low-pressure zone in Assam gradually weakened, and it was expected that the precipitation would completely disappear in two days. To his surprise, the tropical depression, having lost its "right arm," returned to the Bay of Bengal during the deflection process, gathering strength once again over the sea, with a strong tendency to evolve into a tropical storm.

A tropical storm belongs to the second level in the tropical cyclone rating, already considered a typhoon or hurricane. Not only is its precipitation stronger than the "juvenile" tropical depression, but its wind force is also greater, reaching 17.2 to 24.2 meters per second.

Those who have studied high school geography know that once a tropical cyclone lands, it generally weakens rapidly or even disappears.

On one hand, this is because a typhoon loses the abundant moisture supply of the ocean after landfall. On the other hand, there are too many obstacles on land with varying altitudes and large friction, which quickly exhausts the typhoon’s energy.

Yet there are also some rather special cases.

For example, the famous "King of Typhoons," Typhoon Yutu, weakened after striking Saipan Island in the United States but then significantly strengthened again, reclaiming its position as a Category 17 typhoon. The main reason was the "eyewall replacement" phenomenon, which, once the eye reorganization was completed, significantly strengthened the typhoon after the new eye was built.

The tropical depression in the Bay of Bengal before him was just like this.

According to meteorological predictions, Gu Ji calculated that the re-strengthened tropical storm was very likely to focus its attack on West Bengal.

This also coincided with his initial assumption.

Assam, backed by the Himalayas with many mountains, easily dissipates the cyclone’s energy. However, the former is located on the world’s largest Ganges Delta, with its terrain running flat, unable to completely block the strong winds and heavy rains of tropical storms. The severity of hurricane disasters in the United States compared to other countries is precisely because the central Great Plains have no mountains to block them.

Gu Ji, as if remembering something, quickly pulled out his phone’s satellite map.

But because of poor signals and the continuous rain, he struggled to find the topographic map of West Bengal. According to the terrain, it is divided into two parts: the northern area with high-gradient rivers like the Teesta, Torsa, Rangit, and Mahananda, and the southern area with the Ganges, Hugli, Rupnarayan, and Damodar Rivers.

This is enough to prove that the water resources of West Bengal are no less than Assam’s, and even stronger.

Especially since the northern region has built hundreds of large and small dams on many rivers, following the routine of the delta plains in urgent need of agricultural irrigation in autumn and winter, they must be filled with water. If a tropical storm lands and a dam breaches, West Bengal will experience a flood more severe than Assam!

And West Bengal is home to a population of over a hundred million, three times that of Assam!

Among them is India’s third-largest city:

Calcutta!

As Gu Ji fell into the whirlpool of this huge crisis, the rescue boat fleet finally safely reached the edge of the land. Although there was still accumulated water here, the hills’ barrier meant the water only reached their ankles.

It was already past one in the early hours of the morning.

It was hard to imagine they had been trapped by the flood since half past nine, stuck in the train for nearly four hours.

One can’t help but marvel at the miracle that is human survival instinct.

The refugees cheered and jumped off the boats, following the soldiers’ arrangements to walk to the nearest disaster relief center, while the elderly, weak, and disabled were directly transported away by the army’s vehicles.

"Thank God, Vidi, we’ve set foot on this land again!"

Fatima wanted to share the joy of surviving with Gu Ji, but he just kept his head down with a serious expression, not responding. "Vidi, Vidi! You look unhappy. Did something happen?"

"Fatima, this flood disaster is far from over. We need to find Mr. Anurag and the meteorological bureau quickly."

Gu Ji couldn’t yet reveal that the tropical storm was going to hit West Bengal, because from an outsider’s perspective, he had no access to data from the Indian Navy’s Meteorological Center, much less any foundational basis for his claim.

The disaster relief center supported by the central government was much more organized than before.

Looking around, besides the countless tents, there was a specially set up resource center and command center. Supplies included tents, blankets, clothing, medicine, and, most importantly, food, mainly rice and noodles. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

The state’s senior officials had already come out of the command center tents to greet and comfort the refugees.

Gu Ji and his companion hurriedly passed through the crowd to find Anurag.

"Thank Shiva for blessing you two; you’re finally safely back."

Anurag couldn’t hold back his excitement upon seeing them. One was his most prized subordinate, the other a newly recruited talent with limitless potential, "Had I known, I wouldn’t have sent you to guard the train!"

"Minister, you should be thanking us for going on the train. Otherwise, without Vidi, the train’s final scenario would have been unimaginable..."

Fatima didn’t finish the sentence, but everyone knew—it was all thanks to Gu Ji that the refugees were safely rescued!

But Gu Ji didn’t dwell in the praise; instead, he asked gravely, "Minister, what is the real reason for the sudden floods in Assam? Was it the dams reaching capacity and causing a breach?"

This was the answer Gu Ji most wanted to know at the moment.

If that was truly the cause, then West Bengal would surely follow suit.

However, to his surprise,

Anurag’s answer was different.

"The flood broke out very suddenly. During the time your train was trapped, I and the Minister of Agriculture conducted a preliminary investigation into the disaster cause. The flood’s actual outbreak point was in Northeast Assam, at the lower end of the Himalayas, in the middle and upper reaches of the Brahmaputra River."

"Fortunately, many eyewitnesses survived the incident. Based on their accounts, they described hearing a loud noise, after which the river’s water level suddenly surged, the current became extremely fierce, leading to the collapse of already full and overloaded dams, causing a series of breaches in the midstream dams, sparking this once-in-decades great flood."

According to international hydrological intelligence norms, floods are categorized into four levels: small flood, medium flood, large flood, and extraordinary flood, based on a recurrence period of less than 5 years, 5-20 years, 20-50 years, and more than 50 years, respectively.

But what intrigued Gu Ji was the "loud noise".

What kind of noise could cause the river levels to surge suddenly before the tropical depression even made landfall?

He pondered for a moment.

"Glacial rupture?"

"Earthquake!?"

Gu Ji and Fatima spoke simultaneously.

Anurag nodded satisfactorily, "It seems both of you are quite experienced. Assam is backed by the Himalayas, and the noise causing river anomalies is most likely one of these two scenarios. However, during the incident, local residents, the military base, and the state’s seismic monitoring center did not detect any seismic activity, so I believe Vidi’s mention of a ’glacial rupture’ is more plausible!"

The explanation of a glacial rupture fits.

After all, the Himalayas are covered with snow year-round, and the glacial layer is very thick. Large scapes of glacial ruptures can indeed cause a sudden surge in river levels.

However...

"Minister, shouldn’t the issue of river dams fall under the jurisdiction of the Water Resources Minister? Why did the Agriculture Minister have to step in?"

"Like the Chief, the Water Resources Minister also went missing during the flood outbreak. Currently, the Police Headquarters and Fire Brigade have yet to find any trace of them, I’m afraid..."

Anurag sighed, not daring to continue.

Now, more than four hours have passed since the flood outbreak, and still, no one had been found. It was evident they had already perished.

"Who is Vidhi Dali?"