How India was impacted by cyclones in 2021

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons and hurricanes can have devastating repercussions for those impacted. In the case of earthquakes, it is difficult to predict when such an event an occur. As a result is essential to prepare for natural disasters by properly mitigating any of the negative impacts that might occur. Even these mitigation efforts are commonly unsuccessful as natural disasters often reinforce how little control human beings actually have over natural occurrences around the planet. The Cyclone Tauktae is not different in this regard. The cycle was the fifth strongest storm to ever hit the Arabian sea, causing billions of dollars of damages and the loss of lives (AccuWeather, 2021). Here, according to NASA, the maximum winds from the cycle reached nearly 210 kilometers per hour which is equivalent to a category 4 hurricane. The Cyclone made landfall on in west India on May 14TH and remained on land for three additional days before dissipating. The areas must heavily impacted where Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat. As it relates to the disaster response, the primary problem was lack of adequate infrastructure to support rehabilitation efforts. Powers lines where down, roads where blocked, debris was scattered throughout the impacted areas and many critical assets where destroyed. Compounding the issue was COVID-19, which limited the ability of first responders to provide adequate and appropriate services (Hindustan Times, 2020). This was partially attributable to the high infection rates with the country along with strict requirements designed to stop the spread of the virus. Likewise, in certain instances it is impossible for first responders to reach impacted areas. Here, the cycle caused a very precipitous rise in sea levels causing a large portion of personal property and assets to be lost at sea. What I found interesting regarding this research was how certain disasters can compound on one another causing extreme difficulty. It was enough for India to face the pandemic, but it also requires assistance with a cyclone that was difficult to forecast (Murakami, 2017).