Cyclones

 A satellite picture of the eye of a storm. Climate Change is rendering more frequent ad hazardous cyclical weather systems.

The coast of the Indian state of Odisha is almost always on the cyclone path. Low pressure system spiral into life from the Ten Degrees Channel (139 kilometres wide) that separate Andaman from  Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. These cyclonic systems head west and pummel into the coastal districts of Puri, Ganjam and Behrampur flattening all traces of civilised life in these districts.

 This is a picture of Climate terror. Two cyclones one after the other leads to displacement, of human and livestock populations, loss of livelihoods and damage to property. Crop loss and disruption of infrastructure, health and hygiene is compromised, disease follows like a shadow. This has made the population vulnerable to the impact of repeated natural calamities.

There is a cyclone season and the Indian Meteorological Department has done some accurate forecasts in the recent past. But out of season and more frequent cyclones have a debilitating impact on vulnerable coastal communities. That leaves approximately 85 million people living in coastal areas in the Indian Ocean Rim states at the mercy of the Ocean's fury.

The cyclones appear in clock work precision precisely on time and on date...every year. So, building resilience is up to using the intelligence that we human beings are privileged to possess!

Another unique  view from the satellite of the eye of a blistering hurricane. Storms are nomenclatured differently in different parts of the world. In the Atlantic Ocean rim storms are called Hurricanes. In the Indian Ocean rim they are referred to as cyclones and in the Pacific Rim they are called typhoons. In the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean rims they are called storms.

The cyclones herald torrential rain which unseat communities. Evacuation to safety is thus a regular drill for India's National Disaster Response Force.  Odisha the Indian state tat is most prone to cyclone havoc has built multi purpose calamity shelters for every few thousand people at a short distance from the nearest one. With accurate cyclone forecasts the state administration deploys battalions of National Disaster Response Force to evacuate vulnerable communities in identified areas and hence loss of life has been reduced drastically on a preemptive basis ... in accordance with legislative measures for "disaster risk reduction".

Yet search and rescue will always be there post calamity

Mapping vulnerable communities in disaster prone areas is the new task cut out for anthropologists

Evacuation procedure sometimes separates family members and this creates a lot of anxiety and mental health issues. One of the unseen impacts of climate change ...

Cultural sensibilities like women being evacuated in separate rafts are a unique South Asian phenomenon but culture sensitivity in disaster mitigation is politically correct.

An Indian Airforce transport aircraft lands in the middle of an agricultural field ... used as a makeshift airfield.

Trees are also home to wildlife like birds, snakes and reptiles and squirrels, bats, slender lorris rodents etc. 

Massive trees are uprooted during cyclonic storms. India's National Disaster Response Force has battalions stationed across scores of hubs right across the country. These battalions have logistical support and state of the art machinery to deal with situation on the ground.

Uprooted trees have to be quickly cleared to allow vehicular movement, logistical supplies and for search and rescue as well as taking the injured to hospitals / medical care centres. Movement of rescue personnel as well as medical personnel are also dependent on infrastructure preparedness. 

Government schools and hospitals serve as disaster shelters in Odisha.

Supply chain of relief material needs organised machinery, chain of command, disciplined and trained force. Hence during the flash floods of Uttarakhand in in 2013 military and paramilitary forces were put to great use by the Government of India.

The battalions of National Disaster Response Force are manned by men deputed from different paramilitary forces and are drawn from different parts of the country. In the the Uttarakhand flash flood pilgrims from all over India were caught, thus multilingual forces were a great asset! There is no limit to preparedness during the era of Climate Change it appears.

This was a picture of evacuation in Uttarakhand in July 2013.

Selfie thrills dont spare even the paramilitary forces. A scene from flash floods ravaged Uttarakhand in /July 2013.

SAR or search and rescue brings out sensitivity and diverse human nature in so many ways. Handling differently abled women and children during search and rescue calls for specialised training.

It is also time to intelectually engage with sustainable use of ample water resources. India received 18000 square kilometres of water resources yet constantly faces drought, desertification and floods.

NDRF uses local talent for many challenges like getting familiar with terrain or to spot those untraced...

Leaving the omfort of home not knowing when and where they will be rehabilitated, or how to cope with their life's savings and hard work ... triggers mental health issues like anxiety, stress induced hypertension etc.

Statia do not make the best cyclone / disaster shelter for climate refugees. Water supply, health and hygiene, sanitation, menstrual hygiene, gender safety .... are all issues to be factored into disaster risk reduction and climate preparedness.

Issues of uprooted lives are wrought on the faces of the evacuees in this picture.

Culture sensitive food and clothing are the cornerstones of relief in disaster situations, Gender complexities have to be calibrated and sensitised.

A woman receives relief supplies. Medication is a big compromise in the aftermath of calamities. The cumulative impact of lack of medication to climate refugees is a huge cost on the public health.

The forces have a thankless job pleasing evacuees as it is impossible to cater to individual needs. yet individual needs like medicare, pregnant and nursing women, frail and infirm are important factors.

Relief supplies cannot easily be personalised. Volunteering and labeling are critical in disaster relief. India's Unique Identification number should aim to document consumption patterns and standard of living. Vaulting such consumption patterns helps in certifying consumption patterns and thereby right to relief as per tax codes.

Giving the eldest women access to relief  supply ensures just disbursal of material to the households and communities.

Photos: courtesy of National Disaster Response Force, Pixabay, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India.

Photo captions: Malini Shankar.