Ms. Shilky Young Professional, NIDM  Cyclones are rapid inward air circulation around a low- pressure area.  A is a rapid rotating storm originating over tropical oceans from where it draws the energy to develop.  Cyclones are usually accompanied by violent storms and bad weather.  The Word Cyclone is derived from the Greek Word “Cyclos” meaning coils of a snake  Term was coined by Henry Peddington.  The air circulates in an anticlockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere.

 The apparent deflection of a free moving objects to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere due to earth’s rotation.

1. Warm ocean waters of at least 26.5°C to a minimum depth of 50 m (165 feet) 2. An atmosphere that cools rapidly with vertical heights, transforming stored heat energy from warm Ocean waters into thunderstorm activity that fuels the development of tropical system. 3. Moist layer at mid- troposphere elevations (5km/3 miles) to enhance thunderstorm formation 4. The presence of near-surface, organized, rotating system characterized by spin and low-level inflow (convergence) 5. Significant Coriolis forces to rotate the cyclone. 6. Minimal vertical wind shear (strong crosswinds at varying altitudes that can slice apart the towering vortex of cloud mass)  The development cycle of tropical cyclones may be divided into three stages: 1. Formation and Initial Development Stage The formation and initial development of a cyclonic storm depends upon various conditions 2. Mature Tropical Cyclones When a tropical storm intensifies, the air rises in vigorous thunderstorms and tends to spread out horizontally at the tropopause level.

 Once air spreads out, a positive perturbation pressure at high levels is produced, which accelerates the downward motion of air due to convection.  With the inducement of subsidence, air warms up by compression and a warm ‘’ is generated.  Generally, the ‘Eye’ of the storms has three basic shapes:  (i) circular;  (ii) concentric; and  (iii) elliptical.  The main physical feature of a mature tropical cyclone in the Indian Ocean is a concentric pattern of highly turbulent giant cumulus thundercloud bands. 3. Modification and Decay  A tropical cyclone begins to weaken in terms of its central low pressure, internal warmth and extremely high speeds, as soon as its source of warm moist air begins to ebb, or is abruptly cut off.  This happens after its or when it passes over cold waters.  The weakening of a cyclone does not mean that the danger to life and property is over.

 Cyclones are given many names in different regions of the world  They are known as typhoons in the China Sea and Pacific Ocean;  Hurricanes in the West Indian islands in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean;  Tornados in the Guinea lands of West Africa and southern USA.;  Willy-willies in north-western Australia and tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean.

 The criteria followed by Meteorological Department of India (IMD) to classify the low pressure systems in the and in the as adopted by World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) are as under:

Type of Disturbances Wind Speed in Km/h Low Pressure Less than 31 Depression 31-49

Deep Depression 49-61

Cyclonic Storm 61-88

Severe Cyclonic Storm 88-117

Super Cyclone More than 221  Cyclones are classified into five different levels on the basis of wind speed. They are further divided into the following categories according to their capacity to cause damage.

Wind Speed in Cyclone Category Damage Capacity Km/h

01 120-150 Minimal

02 150-180 Moderate

03 180-210 Extensive

04 210-250 Extreme

05 250 and above Catastrophic

2. Strong wind: The most destructive force of a cyclone comes from fierce winds.  These winds are strong enough to easily topple fences, sheds, trees, power poles and communication systems, while hurling helpless people through the air.  Many people are killed when the cyclone winds cause buildings and houses to collapse and completely blow away resulting in loss of life and property.

3. Flood: Heavy and prolonged rains due to cyclones may cause floods and submergence of low lying areas causing loss of life and property.  Floods and coastal inundation due to storm surges pollute drinking water sources causing outbreak of epidemics.  Long after a cyclone has passed, road and rail transport can still be blocked by floodwaters.  Water often becomes contaminated from dead animals or rotten food, and people are threatened with diseases like diarrhea and other infections.

I. Early Warning System  As growing of depression into cyclone takes considerable time  forecast and monitor the paths of cyclone through various technological inputs  The cyclone early warning system in India has been evolved over a period of time  The great Bengal cyclone of 1737 was the first cyclone to be recorded with mass casualties  There are other three major cyclones worth to be mentioned are Buckerganj (1876), Haiphong (1881) and (1970) in all of which the estimated loss of life was about 3,00,000

 establishment of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in 1875  October 1864, a cyclone warning system was also established  After the Orissa Super Cyclone of 1999, an additional ‘watch period’ of around 72 hours was introduced with the regular 48 hours and 24 hours watch before landfall to improve the early warning system  Four Stage Warning

PRE CYCLONE WATCH CYCLONE ALERT CYCLONE WARNING

POST LANDFALL OUTLOOK Different colour codes as mentioned below are being used since post monsoon season of 2006 the different stages of the cyclone warning bulletins as desired by the National Disaster Management. Stage of warning Colour code

Cyclone Alert Yellow. Cyclone Warning Orange. Post landfall out look Red. 1. Mitigation Measures: Mitigation means measures taken prior to the impact of a disaster to minimize its effects. Mitigation measures for cyclone include I. Hazard mapping II. Land use planning III. Engineered structures IV. Retrofitting Non-engineered Structures IV. Cyclone Shelters V. Flood management

VII. Improving vegetation cover VIII.Mangrove plantation IX. Raised embankment or levees X. Artificial hills (mounds) XI. Public awareness generation XII. Cyclone preparedness and response plan XIII.Policy regulations, acts and techno-legal regimes XIV.End to end warning system

 Hazard mapping for cyclones represents the results of cyclone hazard assessment on a map, showing the frequency/probability of occurrences of various intensities or durations.  Cyclones cannot be predicted several days in advance. Past records and paths can give the pattern of occurrence for particular wind speeds.  A hazard map will illustrate the areas vulnerable to the cyclone, and associated and flood in any given time.

 Land use planning should be systematically considered for cyclones so that least critical activities are placed in vulnerable areas.  Location of settlements in the flood plains is of utmost risk.  Siting of key facilities must be marked in the land use.  Policies should be in place to regulate land use and enforcement of building codes.  Vulnerable areas should be kept for parks, grazing grounds or flood diversion instead of human settlements.  Structures need to be built to withstand wind forces.  Good site selection is also important.  The public infrastructures should be engineered structures.  The people should also be encouraged to construct engineered structures for their dwellings.  These measures need government’s intervention in providing building codes and other regulatory framework  A large portion of people live in self-designed non-engineered buildings.  The knowledge on how to strengthen non-engineered buildings should be shared with the community.  Local engineers and artisans can take part in the construction and retrofitting of the buildings in their locality and demonstrate disaster resistant construction methods to the people.

 Necessary for areas vulnerable to recurrent cyclones.  The construction require substantial funding, therefore, generally linked to support from government or external donors.  Also involves technical and engineering components which are usually beyond the capacity of community.  Site selection should be appropiate.  Consideration also needs to be given not only to shelter provision during disasters but to water supply, food storage, shelter for livestock and cattle and basic sanitation facilities

 Flooding will result from a cyclonic storm.  Storm surges will flood the coastal areas.  Heavy rains will bring in flash floods.  Embankments along the rivers, sea walls along the coasts may keep water away from the flood plains. Water flow can be regulated through construction of reservoirs, check dams and alternate drainage channels/routes.  Raised embankments above high flood or storm surge level need to be identified or constructed within an easily accessible place which can serve as an assembly point for various activities in normal weather and as good shelter in stormy weather and high violent floods.

 Public awareness through education is the key to saving many lives.  Most of the damage to lives and livelihoods are due to lack of public education and awareness.  Public awareness can be generated through –training programms, banners/posters, display boards, skill-based competition programmes in school/public gatherings/group discussions, documentary film/video show, mock drills and simulation exercises, pamphlets, brochures and handouts, song and drama in street plays, poster competition, photos exhibitions, street play and shows on cyclone and other related disasters.  There is an important need for comprehensive cyclone preparedness and response plans at all levels in order to enhance preparedness to save lives and livelihoods.  Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) needs to be developed for immediate actions upon receiving a warning. It needs to be followed up through mock drill/simulation exercises at all levels in order to test the efficacy of the planning with necessary updating at regular intervals.  As the community is the first responder to any disaster, special focus needs to be given on community-based disaster preparedness and effective response through active community participation.  This aims at integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation to reduce the impact of cyclone.  Ecosystem-based approaches to DRR offer a good alternative and/or complement because they are often already part of livelihood strategies and hazard mitigation strategies of local communities  Eco-DRR is the sustainable management, conservation and restoration of ecosystems to reduce disaster risk, with the aim of achieving sustainable and resilient development  Coastal ecosystems which consists of Mangroves, salt- marshes, Coral reefs, barrier islands and sand dunes, form natural barriers against hurricane/ tropical cyclones

 National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) identifies Mangrove forests as a suitable mechanism for the ecological security of coastal areas while being beneficial for the livelihood of coastal population  Mangroves in India account for roughly 5% of the world’s mangrove vegetation  Other Eco DRR measures include developing bio shields, shelter belt plantations, coastal flood plain management measures etc.

 The has introduced the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) to address the issues of cyclone risk in the country.  It aims at taking suitable structural and non structural measures to mitigate the effects of cyclones in the coastal states and UTs of India.  Based on the frequency of occurrence of cyclones, population and the existing institutional mechanism for disaster management, cyclone vulnerable states are divided into two categories. 1. Category I: Higher vulnerability States- , Gujarat, , Tamil Nadu and 2. Category II: Lower vulnerability States- Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Daman & Diu, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands  Phase I began with Andhra Pradesh and Odisha in 2011. Other States/UTs were covered progressively.  National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project has following objectives (Project 2010) i) To improve Early Warning Dissemination Systems ii) Enhanced capacity of local communities to respond to disasters iii) To improve access to emergency shelter, evacuation and protection against wind storms, flooding and storm surge in high risk areas iv) To strengthen Disaster Risk Management (DRM) capacity at central, state and local levels in order to enable mainstreaming of risk mitigation measures into the overall development agenda.  Component A: Early Warning Dissemination System(EWDS)  Component B: Cyclone Risk Mitigation Infrastructure  Component C: Technical Assistant for national and state level capacity building and knowledge creation  Component D: Project Management and Implementation Support  Amphan is a super tropical cyclone that originated from the Bay of Bengal in May 2020  the cyclone that originated as a deep depression in the Bay Of Bengal became the most severe cyclonic storm after the 1999 Odisha Cyclone to hit Odisha and West Bengal  Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, a super cyclone was definitely not something India needed.  Paradip (Odisha) and Digha (West Bengal) were in line for the storm

 prediction by IMD was made  NDMA rapidly began its cyclone awareness campaigns and updated every bulletin released on the calamity on Social Media  NDMA launched an awareness campaign in the states of Odisha and West Bengal through Television and Radio, disseminating Do's & Don'ts during a cyclone  the response preparedness as well as the evacuation plan prepared by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)  DG NDRF informed that 25 NDRF teams have been deployed on the ground while 12 others were ready in reserve  By 17th May 2020, the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were pre-positioned across districts in Odisha and West Bengal to assist in preparations for Amphan and render aid where necessary

 first responders also needed personal protective equipment (PPE)  A diving team from the Indian Navy was sent to to aid relief efforts, with ships from the navy placed on standby for relief operations  peaked on 18 May 2020 to upto 240 kmph - 260 kmph wind speed,  made its landfall in Digha West Bengal on 20th May 2020 as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm with a speed of 155- 165 kmph  Over 2 Million people were evacuated in India, approximately 40,000 from Sagar Islands and approximately 50,000 from Sunderbans, and they were provided shelter, while maintaining physical distance  Coastal areas of Odisha, as well as Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah, East Midnapur, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, were among the affected areas  Despite being the strongest tropical cyclone to strike the Ganges Delta since the 2007 Cyclone Sidr, the powerful and deadly Cyclone Amphan, India‘s preparedness contained the loss of lives to just double digits(98), which was mostly due to electrocution or collapse of homes.  The mass destruction caused by the cyclone included damage to the rice paddies and vegetable and sesame fields, along with major power cuts in the areas affected.

 While natural hazards such as a cyclone is not something we have control over, but India's readiness and response to Cyclone Amphan during the COVID Era proved that we are an adaptable, forward-thinking, disaster prepared nation which has, once again, emerged stronger when posed with a challenge.  The livelihoods of hundreds of locals, and their families, have been saved.  This has certainly proven one thing - communities can come together and become one, when faced with calamity.  It is so, as while there is life - there is hope!

Thank you!