Byperjoy landfall in hours; Here are the deadliest cyclones to hit India in a decade

New Delhi: Cyclone Biparjoy, packing maximum sustained winds with a speed of 145 kmph, is moving towards Gujarat coast and is expected to make landfall near Jakhau port in Kutch district. With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing warnings about the cyclone’s “extensive damaging potential”, authorities have already evacuated around 74,000 people living in vulnerable areas. India, with a total coastline of 7,516 km, is exposed to about 8 percent of the world’s tropical cyclones. About 320 million people in nine coastal states – Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal on the east coast and Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat on the west coast – and some union territories are vulnerable to its effects. hurricane.

Most of the cyclones originate over the Bay of Bengal and hit the east coast of India. However, recent research suggests that the frequency, duration and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea have increased significantly over the past few decades.

Government data shows that an average of five to six tropical cyclones form every year, of which two or three can be severe.
Several major cyclones have hit different parts of India in the last 10 years. Here’s a look at the notable among them.

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1) Cyclone Taukte (2021): Classified as an extremely severe cyclone, Taukte made landfall on the southern coast of Gujarat on May 17, 2021, while India was battling the second wave of COVID-19. According to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center, it packed maximum sustained winds of 185 kmph, making it the “strongest tropical cyclone” in at least two decades to affect India’s west coast. The cyclone claimed over 100 lives, most of them in Gujarat, and caused destruction in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra as it brushed India’s west coast.

2. Cyclone Amphan (2020): Amphan, the first super cyclone over the Bay of Bengal since the 1999 super cyclone of Odisha, made landfall near Sundarbans in West Bengal on May 20, 2020. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Amphan was the costliest tropical cyclone on record in the North Indian Ocean, with reported economic losses of around USD 14 billion in India and 129 casualties across India and Bangladesh.

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3. Cyclone Fani (2019): Fani made landfall on the east coast of India near Puri in Odisha on May 3, 2019 with a wind speed of 175 kmph. The extremely severe cyclonic storm claimed 64 lives and caused significant damage to infrastructure including houses, power lines, agricultural fields, communication networks and water supply systems.

4. Cyclone Vardah (2016): Vardah made landfall near Chennai on December 12, 2016. It was classified as a very severe cyclonic storm. Vardah claimed 18 lives in Tamil Nadu and caused widespread damage to infrastructure, uprooting trees and disrupting power supply in Chennai and neighboring areas. Immediate warnings and preparedness measures helped in evacuation of people from vulnerable areas.

5. Cyclone Hudhud (2014): It made landfall in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on 12 October 2014. The cyclone killed around 124 people and caused significant damage to infrastructure including buildings, roads and the power grid. Visakhapatnam and adjoining areas were heavily impacted due to heavy rainfall, strong winds, storm surges and flooding.

6. Cyclone Phailin (2013): On October 12, 2013, Phailin hit the coast of Odisha near Gopalpur in Ganjam district with a wind speed of about 200 kmph, affecting about 13.2 million people in 171 blocks of 18 districts of the state Got impressed. , and resulted in 44 human casualties.

IMD’s accurate early warning system and effective disaster preparedness measures helped in evacuating lakhs of people to safer places, minimizing loss of life. Phailin caused widespread damage to infrastructure, agriculture and livelihoods.