A CASE STUDY OF

NATURAL
DISASTER CAUSED
BY CYCLONE IN
INDIA

NAME : ANINDITA ROY

ROLL NO. : 04
M.Sc (ESDM) PART II
R J COLLEGE
GHATKOPAR WEST
MUMBAI
INTRODUCTION
India is one of the most disaster prone countries of the World. The disaster scenario of Indian
Sub continent is characterized by its high Vulnerability of physical & socio economic profile.
Traditionally the Indian Sub continent has been facing various types of natural calamities,
which often turn into disasters, causing huge loss of life & property.

BASIC WIND SPEED ZONES THERE ARE SIX BASIC WIND SPEEDS 'Vb'
CONSIDERED FOR ZONING, NAMELY 55, 50, 47, 44, 39 AND 33 M/S. FROM WIND
DAMAGE VIEW POINT, THESE COULD BE DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:

55 M/S (198 KM/H) - VERY HIGH DAMAGE RISK ZONE - A

50 M/S (180 KM/H) - VERY HIGH DAMAGE RISK ZONE - B
47 M/S (169.2 KM/H)- HIGH DAMAGE RISK ZONE
44 M/S (158.4 KM/H)- MODERATE DAMAGE RISK ZONE - A
39 M/S (140.4 KM/H)- MODERATE DAMAGE RISK ZONE - B
33 M/S (118.8 KM/H)- LOW DAMAGE RISK ZONE

THE BAY OF BENGAL WHICH IS ADJACENT TO THE EASTERN PART OF ODISHA,

POSSESS WARM SEA AND STILL AIR, REQUIRED FOR CYCLONE FORMATION.
HAVING THE WORLD’S SHALLOWEST COASTAL WATER, THIS IS ONE OF THE
SIXTH MOST CYCLONE PRONE AREAS ON EARTH. ODISHA COAST IS NOT ONLY
VULNERABLE TO CYCLONE, BUT ALSO TO STORM SURGE. IT IS ONE OF THE
MOST STORM SURGE VULNERABLE REGION OF THE WORLD. SIMILARLY WIND
AND CYCLONE HAZARD MAP OF ODISHA REVEALS THAT ALMOST ONE-
FOURTH OF THE STATE IS SUBJECT TO VERY HIGH DAMAGE RISK ZONE WITH
VELOCITY 50 M/SEC

Landfall of cyclones developed over the Bay of Bengal between 1891 and 2016. (Source: IMD

One of the reasons why tropical cyclones are more prone to the Bay of Bengal is that its surface
temperature is more than that of the Arabian sea. tropical cyclones generally need a temperature
of around 28 degrees Celsius. in the last century, out of the 1019 cyclonic disturbances in the
Indian subcontinent, 890 were along the eastern coast, and of these, 260 cyclonic disturbances
had their landfall along the Odisha coast. the cyclones which hit the state in the last two decades
are the 1999 super cyclone, Phailin 2013 and Titli 2018

Another peculiarity with the Bay of Bengal is that it is known for its potential in generating
dangerous high storm tides. When these tides and cyclonic storms coincide, it becomes a major
killer. According to the India Meteorological Department, "Out of 10 recorded cases of very
heavy loss of life (ranging from about 40,000 to well over 2,00,000) in the world due to tropical
cyclones, nine cases were in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea." 13 Extremely Severe
Cyclonic Storm Fani was the strongest Tropical Cyclone to strike Odisha, an eastern state of
India since 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone. It commenced from west of Sumatra on 26th April
from a Tropical depression. Since its conditions were favourable, it rapidly intensified into an
Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm and reached its peak on 3 rd May 2019
DATE TIME & GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
The Fani, a rare summer cyclone, hit the Odisha coast close to Puri on 3 rd May 2019 between
0800 and 1000 hours. As reported by Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum
sustained surface wind speed of 175–180 kilometres per hour (kmph) gusting to 205 kmph was
observed during landfall at Satpada

Generally, extremely severe cyclones hit India's east coast in the post-monsoon season
(October December). IMD data on cyclones that hit India between 1965 and 2017 show that
the country had come across 39 extremely severe cyclones in these 52 years. Of these, nearly
60 per cent (23) were between October and December.

Arrival of Fani in the month of May is an unusual time . What makes Cyclone Fani special is
its trajectory. Fani started developing around the Equator and moved upwards. The long
journey allowed it to gather a lot of moisture and momentum, resulting in strong winds.

EMERGENCY PLANNING IDEAS AND ITS

IMPLEMENTATION
Preparedness : Naval Ships & Aircrafts kept ready by Indian Navy at two air bases to face the
aftermath of the storm & help the rescue & relief operation. 300 power boats , 02 Helicopters
& many chain saws to cut down trees were arranged by the Odisha Government. 1.55 million
people evacuated towards 9,177 shelters in 24 hrs. 25,000 tourists were evacuated by 23 special
trains and 18 buses. All fishing activities were suspended two days prior to the landfall. Twenty
Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) units, 335 Fire Service units and 25 units of the
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed. District and Block Emergency
Operation Centres were activated 24×7. Nearly 4.5 lakh polythene sheets (temporary shelter
materials) were pre-positioned at district/ sub-district levels and 1.5 lakh kept ready for
air dropping after the cyclone. Nearly 600 pregnant women were shifted to Maa Gruhas/
delivery points before the landfall. It was ensured that food security in the aftermath of the
cyclone, food grains were pre-positioned at the fair price shops for distribution among
beneficiaries under targeted public distribution system (TPDS).
Preparedness : Disaster response forces of the Govt were prepositioned in vulnerable locations
. Food packets for air droping were made ready for Airforce helicopters to drop to people.
Senior Govt. officers were sent to Vulnerable locations for co-ordination. The approach of
Govt of Odisha is to have Zero Casualty. More than 45,000 volunteers , 2000 emergency
workers , 100,000 officials , youth clubs & other civil society organisations such as National
Disaster Response Force(NDRF) , Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), Panchayat
Raj Institute (PRI) agencies worked together round the clock to evacuate 1.55 million people
in 24 hrs. It is the largest evacuation program ever done in the World

IMPACTS TARGETING ON LANDSCAPE AND

BIOTIC (MANKIND, ANIMALS , PLANTS ETC.)

Disaster Effects and Impact

Fani left 64 dead, affecting about 16.5 million people in over 18,388 villages in 14 of the 30
districts in the state

Approx Population affected 16.5 million. (About 36% of total population of Odisha) Houses
damaged 3,61,743 Nos Animals Affected: 3.45 million Poultry birds killed : 0.54 million
Agricultural Area affected : 19,734 Ha

Disaster Impacts
On Road Sector :
1. National Highway affected around 272 Km
2. State Highway affected around 5240 Km
3. Rural Roads affected around 6251 Km
On Energy Sector :
1. High Tension Pole damaged around 200
2. Distribution transformers around 11077
3. Low Tension line damaged around 79485 Km

Housing, power, telecommunication, agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and livelihoods were the
most affected sectors The assessment estimates the total damage to be worth INR 16,465 crore
(USD 2,352 million) and total loss to be worth INR 7,712 crore (USD 1,102 million). The
estimated recovery needs are INR 29,315 crore (USD 4,188 million
RELIEF AND RESCUE OPERATIONS

•Immediately after the landfall, a massive rescue and response operation was launched.
•Sixty teams from NDRF, 18 units of ODRAF and 585 fire teams came into action.
•Nearly 45,000 volunteers were mobilised to carry out relief operations. •Eastern Naval
Command of the Indian Navy also supported the state government in rescue and relief
operations. 29 Relief and Rescue Operation
• About 10,000 food packets were airdropped. • More than 6,000 free kitchens were
opened to serve hot cooked meals with the help of the local panchayats and self help
groups (SHGs). • Within 48 hours major roads were cleared and power supply restored
within two weeks in the major towns of Puri and Bhubaneswar. 30 Causes of Successful
Management of FAN

CAUSES OF SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT OF

FANI
India Meteorological Dept has built an effective service to predict accurate timing of cyclone
formation in Bay of Bengal & when it will have a land fall in the Indian Coast line. This EWS
enables the state to get prepared, For the disaster & steps to be taken to minimise the loss of
lives. People also follow the Govt Instructions once warning is issued. 31 Causes of Successful
Management of FANI

WAY FORWARD FOR RESILIENCE

As part of the recovery process, the Government of Odisha has emphasised the need for
building resilience across all sectors with a priority in the following sectors: • Housing •
Livelihoods • Infrastructure

SOLUTION AND MITIGATION

The mitigation measures as proposed by the UN-HABITAT are given below:

1. Hazard Mapping – It suggests that using hazard mapping, one can predict the
vulnerable areas affected by the storms. It maps the pattern of old cyclones using their
wind speed, areas affected, flooding frequency etc.
2. Land use planning – With the effective implementation of land use planning, the key
activities and settlements can be avoided in the most vulnerable areas. For example, a
 settlement in the floodplains is at utmost risk. Hence, authorities should plan ahead to
avoid such risks.
3. Engineered Structures – These structures withstand the wind forces and prove to
mitigate the losses. The public infrastructure of the country should be designed keeping
in mind the hazard mapping of the cyclone.
4. Retrofitting Non-Engineered Structures – The settlements in non-engineered structures
should ensure that they are aware of their houses’ resistance to the wind or certain
disastrous weather conditions. A few examples of retrofitting the non-engineered
structures given by UN-HABITAT are:
• Construction of a steep-slope roof to avoid the risk of being blown away.
• Anchoring strong posts with solid footings on the ground.
• Plantations of trees at a safe distance from the house to help break the wind
forces.
• Repair of the shelters before time.
5. Cyclone Sheltering – At national, state and regional level, the construction of cyclone
shelters should be taken up to help the vulnerable community from cyclones. The
shelters should be built considering the population density, transportation and
communication, distance from the affected areas of the past, and the areas’ topography.
6. Flood Management – As the cyclonic storms lead to heavy rainfall that further lead to
flooding in various areas; important should be given to the flood management. The
drainage systems should be well-designed to mitigate flooding. The participation both
from the government and the local community is required for this. (Read
about Floods in the linked article.)
7. Vegetation Cover Improvement – To increase the water infiltration capacity, improving
vegetation cover is of high importance. Planting trees in rows, coastal shelterbelt
plantations, mangrove shelterbelt plantations, etc can help break the wind force and
mitigate the severe losses.
8. Mangrove Plantation – The ecologically-efficient mangroves should be planted more.
India has 3 per cent of the world’s mangroves cover. The root systems of mangroves
help in mitigating tsunamis, soil erosion etc. (Read about important facts, the
significance of Mangroves in the linked article.)
9. Saline Embankment – Along the coast, saline embankments help protect habitation,
agricultural crops, and other important installations.
10. Levees – They act as an obstruction to the wind forces and also provide a shelter during
floods. (Learn about important terms related to rivers in the linked article.)
11. Artificial Hills – These act as the refuge during flooding, and should be taken up in the
right areas.
12. Awareness of the public – The participation of the community increases with the
number of public awareness initiatives. The governments at all levels should initiate
programs bringing awareness about the natural calamities and making provisions for
higher local participation in the mitigation process.
CONCLUSION.
Successful management of any natural disaster involves two important parameters.
•Minimizing the loss of life. •Minimizing the loss of Infrastructure & Livelihood . While in
India, we have been successful in minimizing the loss of life , we are far away from
achieving the goal to minimize the financial loss of infrastructure and livelihood due to
repeated occurrence of Natural Disasters. After FANI emphasis is being given for adopting
Resilient Housing, Resilient Livelihood & Resilient Infrastructure which will certainly lead to
achieve the second parameter.

REFERENCES :
1. Cyclone Disaster Management “Fani” in India [UPSC Notes] (byjus.com)
2. Cyclone Fani - Wikipedia
3. Devastating impact of Cyclone Fani revealed as millions of people lose homes and
livelihoods in India and Bangladesh - India | ReliefWeb
4. "Tropical Cyclone Fani Slams India's Odisha State, Its Strongest Landfall Since
1999". weather.com. The Weather Company. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
5. "Cyclone Fani churns toward India, prompting evacuation of almost 1 million". CBS
News. AFP. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
6. "Odisha estimates loss at ₹12,000 Cr due to cyclone Fani". The Hindu Business Line.
15 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.