Structure

7.0 Learning Oulcolne

7.1 Introduction
7.2 Geographical Distribution
7.3 Cyclone: Fo~mationandStlucture
7.3.1 , Cyclone Formation
7.3.2 Cyclone's Structure
7.4 Adverse Effects
7,4.1 Winds
74.2 Rainfall
7.4.3 Storm Surge
7.5 Cyclone Wirning u,,d Forecasting System
7.5.1 Ot.gi~nisation
7.5.2 Cyclo~leMnliitoring
7.5.3 User Agencies
7.5.4 Preparation of Forecasts
7.5.5 Pour-Stage Wt~rningSystem
7.5.6 Dissemination of Cyclonc Warnings
7.5.7 Cyclolie wui.tling ~isse~nination
Systems (CWDS)
7.5.8 Public Awnreness in Cyclone Disaster Prevention and Preparedness
7.6. Response
7.7 Lessons Learnt
7.8 Conclusion
7.9 Key Concepts
7.10 References and Furlher Reading '

7.11 Activity

7.0 LEARllaJLNG OUTCOME

Aftel-studying this Unit, you should be able to:
s understand the general characteristics of cyclones;
r discuss the causes of their formation and preferred areas;
e understand their global spread;
Q describe the cyclone monitoring, forecasting and warning system; and
D appreciate the cyclone response system of India.
Cyclone

Among the extreme weather events, Cyclones, also termed as Tropical Cyclones (TGs)are by far
the most devastating, both by causing loss of human lives as well as economic losses. The nal-r"~!
'cyclone' which mean'"coi1s of snake" in Greek was given to the revolving storms in the North
Indian Ocean by Henry Piddington who was the president of the Marine court i n Calcuttafronl~
1839 to 1856,in the mid- 15)"' century, and he wus the First to coin this word. These are called
Tropical Cyclones because they farm over the wann waters of tropicnl oceans, Intense low
pressure areas forming over higher latitudes iither over the land or over the ocean arc known as
ExtraTropical Cyclone. However, but for the similarity of name, there are Iwge differences between
the two types of weather systems. In this Unit, we shall confine oilrselves to cyclones that occur in
the tropical areas. While those occurring in the Inclian seas are called cyclones, those occu~~ing in
the Philippines and Clzina Sea are called typhoons, and those occurring in the Caribbean area are
called hurricanes. The Orissa Super Cyclone of Octobel; 1999, killing more than 10,000people
with estimated direct financial loss of about ten thousand croses of rupees is one exarnple of
terrible disaster potential cf tropical cyclones. Bnnglaclesh Cyclones of Novembel; 1970 ar~cl
April-May, 199 1 killing 300000 and 138000 human lives respective1y are exanlples of worst
natural disasters. The calamity tlwt the hurricane Katrinacauned in the New Orleans area of USA
in August, 2005 is of recent memory. Hanards associated with tropical cyclone ~ s u lfrom t very
strong winds causing damages of various types, very heavy rains callsing widespread floods and
the worst of all the stonn tide (the combined effect of stonn surge and astronomical tide) leading to
coastal inundations. Stoim surge is the sudden rise of sea level caused by cyclone. Among these
destructive fdctors, the storrn surge is the greatest killer and is known to be responsible for about
90 percent of the loss oFlives associated with cyclone disasters. In this Unit, we will disc~lssthe
causes of cyclone formation,adverseeffects,warning,forecasting and response system in disaster
management.

7.2 GEOGWPMICAE DISTRIBUTION e

Over the globe, about 80-85 tropical cyclones (with wind speed 34 knots or more) form every
year and about 2/3 of these reach the very severe (wind speed 64 knots or more) stage. Most of
the cyclone formations (87%) take-place between 20" and 2 0 S but no formation occurs within
about 2- 1 I2 " latitude of the Equator. About two-thirds of all cyclones occur in the Northern
Hemisphere and twice as many tropical cyclones occur in the Eastern as coinpared to the Western
Hemisphere. These differences are due to absence of tropical cyclones in the South AtIantic and
the Eastern South Pacific Oceans. Tropical cyclones are seasonal phenomena and most basins
have amaximu~nfreq~rencyof fol~nationduring the summer to eal-lyFall period with peak occurring
during January to March in the Southern Hemisphere and July to September in the Northern
Hemisphere (NH) with the exception of North Indian Ocean where thcfrequency of tropical
cyclohe is bi-modal in character with primary peak in November and secondary peak in May.
Over the North Indian Ocean, (the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea), on an average, about 5-
6 tropical cyclones form every year, out of which 2-3 may be severe. More cyclones form in the
Bay of Bengal than in the Arabian Sea. The ratio is about 4:1. The frequency of tropical cyclones
in the North Indian Ocean (NIO) is about the least in the world, but these are very severe when
they strike the coasts bordering the north Bay of Bengal. These constitute about 7 per cent of the
global total of about 80 tropical cyclones forming per year. Tropical cyclones in the North 1ndian
Ocean (NIO) form between 5 degree North and 20 degree North 1atitudes. Unlike other oceans
in the NH where there is only one season from May to November, there are two distinct seasons
Understanding Natural Disasters

of tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean, One is from May to June and the other, from
mid-September to inid-December. This is a special feature of the NIO region only. May,
June, October ancl November are luzown for severe storms in the Indian seas i.e, in the Bay
of Bcngal and the Arabian Sea. Almost the entire East Coast is vultierable to cyclolles with
varying frequency and intensity. The West Coast (coast north of Harnai port of Maharaslitra)
is more vulnerable as compared to the southwest coast: (south of Hanai). This means that
Kerala coast is not vulnerable to cyclones although Goamay be affected once in a while.

Although cyclonic storms also form sometimes during monsoon season (June-Sept) in the
NIo region but really a severe one is rare. Cyclones in the monsoon season are more marked
by rainfall.'

7.3 CYCLONE: FO ATION AND STRUCTURE

7.3.1 Cyclone Formation
L

A view o f a cyclone is shuwn in figure 7.1.

Figure 7.1: A Tropical Cyclone

A tropical cyclone can be regarded as a large and tall rotating cylinder of clouds containing
enonnous amount of water and packing heavy winds. It is like a giant heat engine helled by the
release of latent heat due to condensation of huge quantity of water vapour drawn fiom the warm
sea surface waters. The released latent heat warms up the air, 111akingthe air lighter in that column
which rises up creatinga drop in'pressurenear the sea surface.This gives rise to rapid inflow of air .
making more warm and moist air to rise and consequently more release of latent heat over the
sane place.Thus air rushes in fiom all s'idesand rises vertically up creating a rotating vortex. If the
process continues for a longer time, the pressure fall in that place could be very much below
norma1resultingin h t h e r growth of the tropical cyclone and strengtheningthe winds. To get this
engine started, a large quantity of warm and moist air is required. Steady supply is needed to keep
the process going. Scientific studies indicate that this is possible under certain conditions. These
Cyclone a 84

conditions are necessary, though not necessatjlysufficient,for cycclona formation. These conditions
are: (i) sufficiently large areas of ocean with sell-surface temperature around26-27degree celsius;
(ii) depth of warm water, atleast 50 to 60 metres so that sufficient supply of warm and moist air is
ensured; and (iii) initial rotation trigger should be provided by some favourable meteorological
condition..
Cyclones continue to gather strength while on warm seawater increasihg their spebdof movement
as well as the wind speed in the rotational field. They narrnally decay rapidly into a depression
after entering the land, nd at times ]nay continue moving as a depression over the land for afew
days
C
widespread rainfall but much less wind. Cyclones also die over the ocean by entering
a region of cold water or unfavourable lneteorological environment even when it is over the ocean.

7.3.2 rCyclonessStructure
The structure of arnature tropical cyclone can be discussed with respect to its shape and strength
of the winds. As already stated, Tropical Cyclones (TCs) can be regarded as p large rotating
cylindrical hass of the atmosphere extending horizontally from 1SO-1000 kin and vertically frorn
surface to 12-14 km. Fierce winds spiralling anti-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere (NH)
blow around the calm cyclone centre of the low pressure area in the lower level. At higher level,
the sense of rotation of wind is just opposite to that of the low'er level. Iri Southern Hemisphere
(SH), the sense of rotation of wind is opposite to that in the NH, The entire cyclonic stocm
generally moves 250-500 km per day (10 to 20 kmph) over the ocean. This is the speed of
movement of thecyclone. On the other hand, wind speed within such ncyclone can be as high as
200-250 kxnph, Distinction between the '$peed of the Cyclone' and 'Wind speed in a cyclone'
should therefore be clearly understood. Everywhere TCs are classified according to the wind
speed, which is the main destructivefeature of acylone, '
As already mentioned, a cyclone starts as a low-pressure area and passes through different stages
of its development and intensification. The classification of these stages as followed in India is
given in the table 7.1 below:
Table 7.1 Stages of Tropical Cyclone

Categories (Weather Systems) Wind Speed

Abbreviations used
1. Low Pressure Areas L < 17 knots or (3 1) kmph
2. Depression D 17 to 27 knots (3 1 to 49)
3. Deep Depressioti DD 28 to 33 Knots (50 to 61)
4

4, Cyclonic Storm CS 34 to 47 Knots (62 and 88)

5. Severe Cyclonic Storm SCS 48 to 63 knots (89 and 117)
6. Very Severe Cyclonic Storm VSCS 64 to 119 knots (1 18 to 220)
7. Super Cyclonic Storm SuCS More than 119 knots (221 and above)

It is evident frorn the table that the cyclone's wind speed has been classified in seven categories,
which ranges from less than 17 knots (3 1 krnph) to super cyclone storm with wind speed of more
than 119 knots (221 kmph and above).
It is natural that in a cyclone extending about 1000 kmhorizontally and 12 km vertically, the wind
speed will not be the same throughoG. It is a highly variable wind field. The wind Weld in a cyclone
90 Understanding Natural Disasters

can be discussed in tenns of its horizontal and vertical distribution. Horizontally,the wind field in a
cyclone can be divided into three major zones viz., (i) the central area, known as 'Eye' with an
average radius of 20-30 kin. with calm or very little wind (ii) followed outwards by a narrow zone
of 15-20 krn. wide surrounding the eye lcnown as Zone of Maximu~nWind or Wall Cloud Zone
where the wind speed is mnximum, and (iii) the zone followed thereafter known as Outer Wind
Zone extending upto 300 to 500 km.from the centre where wind speed gradually decreases with a

distance. Vertically, wind field can also be divided into three zonesna~nely,(i) the Intllaw Layer,
where wind rotates anti-clockwise in the NH and moves inward, the layer extends from surface to
about 5.4kms. above, (ii) the Middle Layer, where wind mainly circulate in an anti-clockwise
manner with nolvcry little inward comnponentand extends from about 5.4 km. to 9 km., and findly,
(iii) the Outflow Layer, where the wind rotates in clock-wise manner in NH and goes out of the
cyclone field.
The pressmre is the lowest in the centre (eye) of the cyc1011-eand increases in all directions as one
,moves outwards from the centre. The temperature is the warmest in the eye of the cyclone and
decreases outwards. In the courscof movement of cyclone, rain and winds cease when the eye is
over a stdtion but within a couple of hours they commence again.
As stated above, the eye (central portion) of the tropical cyclone is alnlost cloud free, surrounded
by walls of clouds known as the Wall Cloud Zone. This wall cloud zone coincides with the zone of
the maximum wind. Thus this zone, though very narrow, constitutes the most hazardous zone of a
tropicill cyclone,'as winds here are extretneiy strong, rainfall is very heavy, vet"cca1 velocity is large
and the convective clouds arranged in the form of a wall are very tall. Clouds o~\tside the wall cloud
are arranged in bands and finally these bands merge with the wall cloud zone surrounding the
central portion of the cyclone,

7.4 ADVERSE EFFECTS

Severe tropical cyclones are responsible for large casualties and considerable damage to life,
property and agricultural crop. The dest~uctiortis mostly confined to the coastal districts; the
~naxiinumdestruction being confined within about 100 km from the centre of the cyclone and on
the right side of the storm track. Principal dangers from acyclone are (i) very strong winds, (ii)
torrential rains, and (iii) high storm tides technicaIly known as sto~msurges.
Most of thecasualties are caused by coastal iilui~dationby storm tides. In most cases, maximum
penetration of storm surges varies from 10to 20 krn inland frorn the coast. I-Ieavy rainfall al;d
floods come in next in order of devastation potential. They are often responsible for much loss of
life and damage to property. Death and destruction purely due to winds are relatively less. The
collapse of buildings, falling trees, flying debris, electrocution, aircraft accidents and diseases from
cortta~ninatedfood and water in the post-cyclone period contribute considerably to the loss of life
and destruction of property.

7.4.1 Winds
Besides the horizontal and vertical variation of wind discussed earlier (in Section 7.3.2),cyclone
wind field can bedivided with respect to its direction of motion like Right Half a n d k f t Half as well
as Forward Half and Rear Half. Combining these togeth r, the cyclone field can therefore be
divided in four sectors, likeRight Forward, Left Forward andRight Rear and Left Rear sectols.
In general, the winddirection and speed differ from sector to sector resulting in different impact in
each sector. The wind speed is more in the right half compared to left half. The wind in the right
forward sector is frorn the ocean to land whereas that in the left forward sector is frbm land to
ocean. Thus, cyclonic wind forces the seawater to surge; towards the coast in the right forward
sector where storm surge maxima is observed inundating the coastal areas. On the other hand, in
left forward sector, winds are from land to ocean, which pushes the water away from the coast
towards the ocean. Such differences in wind direction and speed around the cyclone make the
right forward sector of a cyclone inore destructive compared to other sectors.
The world record of highest sustained wind speed in acyclone is held by H~~rricane Inez, which
struckUSA in 1966. The highest recorded wind was 317 kinph with gusts exceeding 360 kmph,
In theNorth Indian Ocean area,, tropical cyclones in most cases have wind speeds not exceeding
185 kmh, although there have been more intense sto~.~ns also. It is difficult to record wind speed
beyond a certain limit as wind-recording instruments normally break down. The highest wind
speedcan however be estiinated by indirect methods like satellite technique. The kstirnated highest
wind speed associated with tropical cyclones in Indinn region in the past is about 140 knots
:about 260 km/li) in association with Anclhra Pradesh cyclone of 1977 and the Qrissa cycloneof
3ctober 1999.

7.4.2 Rainfall
Xainfall activity associated with a tropical cyclone generally depends on its size, strength, wind
;peed and direction of movement. The rainfall is more in the case of large size cyclone compared
.o a slnaller one. Rainfall is inore in the case of an intense cyclone coinpared to a weaker one. It
s more in the case of slow moving cyclone compared to fast moving one. In association with a .
ivestward moving cyclone inIndia, heaviest rainfall is generally observed in the left forward sector,
:tlouglithe spread of rai~~fall
is more in the right i'o~wardsector. Heavy rainfall is gelierally confined
within 150-200 knl, from the cyclone centre decreasing drastically thereafter with distance and
~ecominginsignificant at [a distance of 500 km, or~nore.The heaviest rainfall is generally observed
3ver the wall cloud zone. This is, however, a general picture and rainpal l being a highly variable
pantity in space and time, it varies from system to system.
Rainfall of the order of 20 to 30 cm per day is common with acyclone. Associated with a tropical
:yclone, 24 hours cumulative rainfall can be around 100cm. In the extreme, observed rainfall
mociated with tropical cyclone can be as Ilig11 as 250cin.

7.4.3 Storm Surge

Tropical cyclone's worst killer - the storm surge, comes from the ocean. The storm surge is the
s~tddenrise of sea level along the coast ca~lsedby tropical cyclone as it moves towards he coast.
[n the simplest form, this can be explained as follows. Below the cyclone centre, the ocean is
drawn upward by 30 cm or so above normal due to reclucedpressure in the centre and rushing of
water towards the centre by in-flowing winds. Over the open ocean having no obstn~ctionin any
side the water gets quickly depleted all around very quickly, not allowing the level to rise abnormally.
Over the deep ocean the surface friction does not play any role in the process. However, when a
cyclone approaches the coast, the strong wind in the right forward sector pushes the seawater
towards the coast. On the other hand, in the left forward sector the offshore winds push the water
away from the coast towards the ocean. The water that gets accumulated in the right forward '
sector along the coast by this process does not get depleted in the same rate as it accumulates, as
surface winds resist its ocean ward depletion and the coast behaves like a barrier. If the slope of
the ocean bottom in the coastal region is gentle (shallow coastal water) it provides additional
resistance for the depletion of accumulated water. As ilresult, the rate of accumulation of water is
more coinpared to its depletion. This is finally visible in the form of a rise in the sea level along a
100-150 km stretch of the coast, mainly to the right of the landfall point. This is the reason why the
surge is seen along coast and not over the deep ocean.
92 Understcrrzding Nut~tralDisasters

The fdctors on which the storm surge depends are: (a) differenceof pressure between the centre of
the cyclone and its periphery (pressure drop); higher the pressure drop greater is the surge, (b)
~adiusof maximum wind zone, (c) speed and direction of motion of the tropical cyclone, and (d)
the bottom topoglaphy of the coast below sea water.
The sea level also fluctuates due to astronomicaI reasons known as tide. High and low tides
alternate every six hours making the tides high and. low twice in a day. The rise due to tide may be
as high as 4.5m above the mean sea level in some parts of Indian coasts like North Orissa- West
Bellgsll coast add Gulf of Cambay off Saurashtrtlcoast.The advancing storm surge is superimposed
ail normal asfronomical tides. This build up of water can create wall of water 1Ometres or Inore in
height coming in with greet speed and cause severe flooding in the coastal areas. The worst
devastation takes place when peak surge occurs at the time of high tide. The sheer force of impact
of enor~nousvolume of water is highly destn~ctive.What inakes it worse is the fact that the storm
surge inundates the coast with corrosive sea water, Significant storm surge affects allnost all parts
of Indian east coast and the coast of Bangladesh,

CYCLONE WARNHllhJG AND FORECASTING SYSTEM

It is now possible to warn the affected pop~ilationnt letlst 24 to'36 hours in advance about the
danger from a tropical cyclol-le. It is well recognised that taking advantage of reliable cyclone
warning services, the human loss due to tropical cyclone can be minimised. The essentials of im
efficient cyclone wanling systems are (i) good observing system, (ii)inodern and reliable forecasting
techniques, (iii) rapid and dependable communication system for the forecisl tldvisolies and warnings
. to reach all interested palqtiesquickly,and (iv) adequatipreparedness and quick response. It is
'said that a warning is no warning unless it is dependable and is acted upon,

7.5.1 Organisation
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has a well established organisational set up for
observing, detecting, tracking and forecasting cyclones and issuing cyclone warnings whenever a
cyclone develops in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Cyclone whrnings are provided
through six Cyclone Waining Centres locited at KoIkata, Bhubaneshwar,Vishakdpatnam, Chennai,
Murnbai atid Ahmedabad. These centres have distin'ct responsibilities,areawise,covering both the
east and west coasts of India and the oceanic areas of theBay of Bengal and the ~kabianSea,
including Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshwadeep. The cyclone warning bulletins urc
issued to tlie All India Radio and Doordarshan for broadcast/t~lecastin different languages. On an
all India basis such warnings are issued to All India radio andDoordarshan,New Delhi from the
Cyclone Warning Division at HQ office, New Delhi. IMD, through its HQ office at New Delhi
p~.ovidecyclone information to the Control Room and Crisis Management Group set up in the
Ministly of Home Affairs, Government of India, who is finally responsible to coordinate actions of
various other central government agencies for taking effectivedisaster mitigation measuses. IME)'s
Cyclone Warning Division at New Delhi also caters to the need of international requiren~entssuch
as issue of Cyclo~~e Advisories to its neighbouring countries.Considering its cyclone warning
capabilities, the IndiaMeteorological Department, New Delhi has been designated as the Regional
Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) - Tropical Cyclone -New Dellli, by the World
Meteorblogical Organization (WMO)which is one among the five such centres in the world t111sted
with the cyclor-lewarning services for their area of responsibility.
7.5.2 Cyclone Monitoring
IMDYscyclone tracking system is an integrated system consisting of 562 observatories for taking
lneteorological data from the earth's surface, 98 observatories for making measurements of wind
in the upper atmosphere up to altitudes of 20-25 km, 35 observatories for making measurements
of pressure, temperature and humidity to an altitude of 20-25 km, sl~ipsobservations, 10 cyclone
detection reader along the coasts and Geo-stationary ENSAT satellites. Powerful Cyclone Detection
Radars with a range of 400 km are installed at Kolkata, Paradip, Vishakhapatrzam, Machilipatnam,
Chennai, Karaikal on the east-coast and Goa, Cochin, Murnbai and Bhuj along the west-coast.
Recently, the conventional radars at Chennai and Kolkata have been replaced by Doppler Radars,
which in addition can provide wind information close to the coast over the ocean. More Doppler
Radars are planned for installationalong the coast. The present cyclone surveillance system in the
country is such that no cyclone in the region can escape detection at any time of its life period.

7.5.3 User Agencies

M D provides warnings against tropical cyclones to the coastal regions of the country and for the
high seas for its assigned area of responsibility. The main user organisations served by the department
are: (i) CommercialShipping and Indian Navy, (ii) Port Authoritieq (iii) Fisheries Officials, (iv)
Officials of the Central and State Governments, (v)Specialwarnees who are registered with IMD,
(vi) Commercial Aviation, (vii) Special Interest Groups, and (viii) General Public.

7.5.4 Preparation of Forecasts

The important components of cyclone warnings are the forecast of the future path, intensity and the
associated destructive weather such as strong winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge. For the
forecast of path of the cyclone and storm surges, the modern methods, which utilise computers,
are applied in addition to conventional methods. Intensity forecasts are made by using satellite
techniques.The forecasting techniques used in India are comparable to other advance countries in
the World.
Globally, the average errors of prediction of cyclone path, even when modern and sophisticated
techniques are used, for 24,48 and 72 hour's forecasts, are around 200 kms, 400 kms, and 600
k ~ n respectively.
s In fact, these so called errors indicate the spread of the area of impact of
cyclonic'weather such as heavy rain and strong winds. Therefore, earlier the warnings provided,
greater is the landfall error and under such situations large areas need to be warned. Evacuation
of people to.safer places, (which is the only solution to minimise loss of lives) in such cases,
becomes more difficult. The forecastsand warning to be effective, it would therefore be necessary,
that the advance preparedness of Government and Non-Governmne~ltalAgencies should be such
that it would be possible to evacuate large number of people to safer places at shod notice of
about 24 hours and in inclement weather.

7.5.5 Four-Stage Warning System

The warnings to Disaster Management Officials(Central and State:Governments, District Colle~lors
and other user agencies) are issued in followingstages:
1) Pre- Cyclone Watch: As soon as a depression develops on the seas and shows potential to
develop into acyclone.
ii) Cyclone Alert: 48 hours before the commencement of adverse weather along the coast.
iii) Cyclone Warnings: 24 hours before expected landfall.
iv) Post-Landhi1 Outlook: Prior to 12 hours of landfall on the coast,
Wslrnings contain various information about cyclone, like its position, speed and direction of
movement and likely adverse weather. Impact of the cyclone on cornmon objects on land is also
included when cyclone's landfall is imminent. The ports and fisheries warnings start as soon as a
depression is detected. Ports are warned day and night with specially designed Port Warning
Signals.

7.5.6 Dissemination of Cyclone Warnings

Cyclone warnings are disseminated by tine following means: (i) Telegrams with the highest priority,
, (ii) Telecast through Doordarshan, (iii) Broadcast through AIR,(iv) Press Bulletins, (v) Broadcast
through P&T's coastal radio stations for ships in the high seas and coastal waters, (vi) through
INSAT basedCyclone Warning Dissemination Systems (CWDS),and (vii) through Global Maritime
Distress Safety S ~ S ~ ~ ~ . ( G M using
D S Sthe
) International Maritime Satellite.(INMARSAT).The
Cyclone warning Qssemination System (CWDS) is special to Indiaand is described in the next
Section (7.5.7).
In addition to the above, cyclone warnings are disseminated th- Meprinters, telex, facsimile,
telephones and Internet to the Agencies in need of warnings having such facilities. The warning
bulletins are issued rlormally at 3 -hourly intervals, but more frequently when needed. Areas
threatened by cyclone, heavy rainfall, magnitude of destructive winds and their impact, storm surge
elevation and coastal areas likely to be inundated are some of the elements included in the cyclone
waning bulletins.

7.5.7 Cyclone Warning Dissemination Systems (CWDS)

To reduce the dependency of dissemination of cyclone warnings throu,gh the normal mode of
coinlnunication like telegrams, telex and telephones, which areoften among the first casualty during
a cyclone situation, a satellite based very dependable and unique communication system known as
ar clone ~ a m i n ~ ~ i s s e r n i n a tSystem
i o n (CWDS) has been developed in India Through this system,
rapid and direct dissemination of cyclone warnings are made from acentral station through INSAT
satellite direct to designated addresses at'isolated places in local languages. At present, 250 CWDS
sets are operational along east and west coast of India installed in small administrative units like
Block Development, Taluq Offices and Police Stations, which are responsible for local rescue and
relief. CWDS are alsdlocated in the state and district level government Headquarters. CWDS
has been found vety effective in communicatingcyclone warnings.

7.5.8 Public Awareness Activities in Cyclone Disaster Prevention and

Preparedness
The IMD, along with the State governments, has evolved a well orchestrated information
dissemination campaign to enhance public awareness among Government officials, voluntary
organisations and the community at large through circulars, seminars, workshops, popular talks,
publicity materials etc. in Indian languages depicting thenature of cyclone hazards, and benefits of
preparedness and mitigation measures. The present cyclone warning system is reviewed every
year at the highest Ievel to identify the gap areas andsuggest improvements.
Cyclone 95

RESPONSE
Response is an important cornponent of an efficient cyclone warning system. Response means a
clear perception on the part of warnees (recipients of warnings), Government, and Public about
a tropical cyclone, its consequences and actions that need to be taken in the event of a tropical
cyclone threat. Response includes the existence and activation of a Disaster Management Plan
and identified agencies for carrying out disaster preparedness measures for action during and
immediatelyafter a tropical cyclone.
Though the cyclone warnings in India are being issued from the middle of the lgh century, yet until
25-30 years ago, the interaction between the warnees and wuncrs (issuing authority of warnings)
were very little. During the past three decades, good progress has been made in this sector though
still much needs to be done. A major initiative taken in India to organise the response was through
the constitution of Cyclone Disaster Mitigation Committees (CDMC's) in the frequently cyclone
affected coastal States of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal during the seventies (1970s)
in the past century. These Committees brought together the meteorologists and all organisations
connected with disaster management like concerned Central and State Government officials, major
transport and co~nmunicationdepartment officials, police, military, media etc. and made them to
suggest improvement in the various components of cyclone warning systems and to formulate
actions that need to be taken by each of them in the case of a cyclone threat. Later, a Cyclone
Review Committee constituted by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of
India (DST) after the 1977 cyclone of Andhra Pradesh reviewed the cyclone warning systems and
made comprehensive recommendations. These initiatives helped in the improvement of warning
system and its credibility as well as response to warnings.
With titne, the response scenario specially at the Government level, has however changed
considerably. To co-ordinate all activities related to natural disaster (of which cyclone is one)
management, a National Disaster Management (NDM) Division has been created in the Home
Ministry. A National Institute for Disaster Management (NIDM) has been established under the
aegis of the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi. The NDM Division in the Home Ministry has
been designated as the Nodal Agency to coordinate all activities related to natural disaster
management at the Central level. A Control Room functions in the NDM division, in the Home
Ministry to maintain the flow of information and coordinate with various agencies in the Central
and State Governments It works round the clock during an emergency situation on the basis of
receipt of first information about the occurrence or anticipated occurrence of a natural calamity
such as a cyclone.
The management of disasters such as cyclones has gathered further momentum by organisationof
the Central Disaster Management Authority under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of
India. The vulnerable States are establishing similar Authorities at the state level. Orissa and
Gujarat - vulnerable to cyclones along with other coastal states were the first to establish State
Disaster Management Authorities.

7.7 LESSONS LEAIRNT

Cyclones are among the most destructive nahlral disasters that affect coastal areas of India with
the possible exception of Kerala coast. The maximum vulnerability is on the coasts of Andhra
Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharasthra, Goa and Tamil Nadu. The havoc is caused
due to heavy rain, very strong winds and the associated storm surge of salty seawater. More
cyclones strike the east coast of India than the west coast.