A study published in May 2020 by the University of Wisconsin in Madison and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that hurricanes and cyclones are increasing in intensity decade after decade. This finding comes from nearly 40 years of satellite data on global storms (Jone & Miller, 2020).
The cause for increasing intensity is global warming. Global warming has raised ocean temperatures, especially in regions where tropical cyclones form. The combination of warm temperatures and atmospheric conditions results in storms to reach higher intensities (Jones, Miller, 2020).
The CNN article explains how India saved lives and properties because of the early response to Cyclone Nisarga. Although these kind of tropical cyclones in Mumbai or this area of India are rare, action from the disaster response team has effectively spared lives, the article says (Regan and Gupta, 2020).
Regan and Gupta (2020) explain further that:
- Maharashtra’s disaster response team evacuated more than 100 thousand people, including coronavirus patients moving them to temporary shelters. The team urged people in low-lying areas to seek shelter while educating those who refused to move.
- The early warning and disaster response have proven effective in protecting millions of lives in Mumbai with only one reported death from the storm. In the past, super cyclones that landed in India’s eastern side has claimed many lives. For example, in Odisha, 89 lives were lost from a category four hurricane in May 2019, and almost 10 thousand died in a super cyclone in 1999.
- Although early warning systems during a disaster can prevent deaths, infrastructure, and agriculture damages from cyclones and storms remain devastating and costly. Aparna Roy of India’s Centre for New Economic Diplomacy (CNED) says that India needs to improve its infrastructure resilience that could withstand climate impacts. The government also needs to ensure that infrastructures can bounce back after disasters and remains operational during a crisis.
Read the entire article by clicking on the link below:
Citation sources:
Jones, J. & Miller, B. (2020, May 18). Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are becoming stronger, according to a new NOAA study. CNN. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/18/weather/climate-change-hurricane-tropical-cyclone/index.html
Regan, H. & Gupta, S. (2020, June 4). India’s cyclone response saves live. Climate-resilient infrastructure will save livelihoods. CNN. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/04/asia/cyclone-nisarga-mumbai-india-damage-intl-hnk/index.html
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