Cyclone Amphan

Cyclone Amphan

During 13 May 2020, an area of low pressure developed over the Southeastern Bay of Bengal about 600 km to the southeast of Chennai in the Indian state Tamilnadu The area of low pressure was located within a favorable environment for further development with good  warm sea surface temperatures, and low verticals wind share Over the next couple of days, the system became more marked as it gradually consolidated further, with bands of deep atmospheric pressure wrapping into the system's low-level center. During 16 May, the (IMD) reported that the area of low pressure had developed into a depression and designated it as while it was located about 1,100 km  to the south of Paradip in the Indian state of Odisha.

Moving northwards, the depression continually organized and became a cyclonic storm a few hours later, receiving the name Cyclone Amphan. Intensification was temporarily impeded as moderate disrupted the system's cloud pattern. On 17 May, conditions for significant intensification became more conducive as upper-level winds improved. As a result, Cyclone Amphan underwent rapid intensification into a severe cyclonic storm, with the  winds speed from 140 kmph at 12:00 UTC to 215 kmph, the equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane, just six hours later. Furthermore, the IMD upgraded Amphan to an extremely severe cyclonic storm on its cyclone intensity scale. The broad storm was characterized by a cloud shield extending more than 1,100 km and a sharply-outlined 10 nautical mile-wide Eye

Cyclone Amphan's forecast track placed 38.9 million people in India and Bangladesh at risk of exposure to the storm's winds, according to the IMD issue a cyclonic alert for India's coastline along the Bay of Bengal, advising fishermen not to sail to susceptible locations in the Bay of Bengal from 15–18 May. Fishermen from Shri Lanka were also advised by the national government to return to or remain in the country, and additional maritime traffic from Singapore and other countries were advised to remain clear of Cyclone Amphan's vicinity. Ships and aircraft of the Indian Coast Guard directed fishing boats to harbor in coordination with the administrations and fisheries departments of Odisha and West Bengal The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Chennai activated an International Safety Net for the Bay of Bengal. Ports were cleared and their operations suspended along the Bay of Bengal, while ferry service along major routes in Bangladesh was suspended and Bangladeshi ports suspended the loading and unloading of goods onboard ships. Smaller vessels in the harbor at Chittagong were moved to safety upstream. Ships were ordered out of some ports, such as the port of Paradip,  to avoid damage. Public works departments were called upon by the government of Odisha to ensure infrastructure resiliency, crews, and backup systems for electricity and telecommunications were deployed to meet these needs, establishing communication for emergency response. Rail and vehicular traffic in Odisha and West Bengal were halted or rerouted. The Shramik train service was halted in both states for up to four days, with service expected to be curtailed in the storm's aftermath. Other migrants traveling to Odisha were asked to wait out the storm.

Destruction & Evacuations

North India

West Bengal, the epicenter of the cyclone's landfall, saw the most widespread damage from Cyclone Amphan. The storm was considered the strongest to hit the region in over a decade.   An estimated storm surge of 5 m (16 ft) inundated wide coastal communities and communications were severed. The greatest inundations were expected in the Sundarbans, where flooding could extend 15 km inland Wind gusts along coastal areas were measured up to 150–160 kmph In western Kolkata, damaging winds up to 133 kmph overturned vehicles and snapped trees. Thousands of mud homes were damaged in the neighboring Hoogly. At least 80 people died in West Bengal, of which 19 in Kolkata. most of the fatalities were due to electrocution or the collapse of homes^. Hundreds of homes were wrecked in flooding of villages. The damage there was more extensive than in other Cyclone in this decade. Kolkata alone has lost 6500 trees in the cyclone. The government estimated the losses across the state to be ₹1 trillion. Neighboring Odisha saw significant effects, with wind gusts reaching 108 km/h and rainfall up to 200 mm in Paradip. Sixty-five electrical substations were affected, leaving 1.9 million without power. Three people died in Odisha, one due to drowning, and the other two from collapsed objects.

6000 hectares of mango and lichi and 5000 hectares of vegetables were damaged in West Bengal.

Trees are more vulnerable during cyclone

Birds got stuck during Cyclone Amphan 

South India

Rains and strong winds from Cyclone Amphan swept across many districts in Kerala beginning on May 16. Thunderstorms associated with Cyclone Amphan caused severe coastal erosion in the Valiyathura suburb of Thiruvananthapuram, damaging roads and destroying homes and threatening to displace over a hundred families from their homes. Strong winds inflicted severe damage in Kottayam District, especially in Voikam taluk, where homes and temples were impacted and trees and electric poles were downed^. The tiled roof of the Voikam Mahadeva Temple was damaged by these winds. A ₹1.47 billion damage toll resulted from the destruction of 16 homes and the partial damage of 313 homes^. A high school used as a homeless shelter collapsed, causing minor injuries. Tamil Nadu faced some impact from the cyclone. Heavy winds damaged at least 100 boats anchored in the Ramanathapuram district, Coastal erosion from rough seas generated by Cyclone Amphan led to the collapse of three houses at Bommayarpalayam in Villupuram district, Roughly 35 acres of banana crops around Aranthangi were destroyed. Northern areas of the state have heatwave-like conditions for a week because Cyclone Amphan took all of the area's moisture.

In Sooradapeta, near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, rough seas destroyed 35 homes and damaged several others.

Destruction of assets and environment

Poor people and thatched houses have got more destruction

Inundation during the Amhhan

Trees are more vulnerable for nearby assets and lives