TheJakartaPost
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Your letters: Hurricane or tornado
The Jakarta Post on April 11 put on its front page a picture titled âCleanupâ, saying that people are clearing up houses âdestroyed by a hurricaneâ in Central Java
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he Jakarta Post on April 11 put on its front page a picture titled 'Cleanup', saying that people are clearing up houses 'destroyed by a hurricane' in Central Java.
Due to its proximity to the equator and its unique site with respect to the ocean, Indonesia has never been hit by a hurricane. What happened in that disaster area was a tornado (angin puting beliung).
Compared to hurricanes (cyclones), tornadoes are small (a few hundred meters in diameter). You can see them swirling from a distance at eye level, while hurricanes are so big (hundreds of kilometers in diameter) you cannot see them unless from the sky.
Tornadoes last only for a few hours and always in the afternoon, while hurricanes keep on going for days.
Adi Darmawan
Jakarta
