Main Article Content

Abstract

It is a well-known fact that India, due to its geographical location is prone to natural hazards especially the cyclones. Extensive research in this field has indicated that natural disasters like cyclones leads to an estimated 2% decline in the GDP of the country. Moreover, the share of revenue lost by the central government is around 12%. Tropical cyclones is the name given to cyclones that occur between Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. The typical features of a tropical cyclone include wind speeds which equal or exceed gale force. This means minimum of 34 knot or 62 km/h speeds. India has around 7516 km of large coastline. This coastline is every year exposed to around ten percent of the tropical cyclones occurring in the world. The coastline of India comprises of around 13 states/union territories including around 84 districts. These regions are affected by cyclones each year. However, the most vulnerable states include Gujarat, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orrisa etc. Around 40 percent of the population of country lives along 100 km of the coastline. The months of May-June and October-November are prime seasons for the occurrence of these cyclones. Also, studies have shown that an estimated of 370 million people are exposed to cyclones in the country.

Article Details