Hazards, Disasters And Your Community - United Nations ...

warning systems, radio, television, telephone, fax, high
priority telegram, public announcements and bulletins in
press. Advancement in Information Technology in the form
of Internet, Geograhical Information System (GIS), Remote
Sensing, Satellite communication, etc. can help a great
deal in planning and implementation of hazards reduction
schemes.
ELEMENTS AT RISK
All lightweight structures and those built of mud, wood,
older buildings with weak walls and structures without
proper anchorage to the foundations will be at great risk.
Settlements located in low lying coastal areas will be
vulnerable to the direst effects of the cyclones such as
wind, rain and storm surge. Settlements in adjacent areas
will be vulnerable to floods, mudslides or landslides due to
heavy rains. Other elements at risk are fences, telephone
& electricity poles, cables, light elements of structures –
roofs, signboards, hoardings, coconut crowns, fishing
boats & large trees.
A helicopter turned turtle at the Bhubaneshwar
airport during the cyclonic storm of 1999.
TYPICAL EFFECTS
First, in a sudden, brief onslaught, high winds cause major
damage to infrastructure and housing, in particular fragile
constructions. They are generally followed by heavy rains
and floods and, in flat coastal areas by storm surge riding
on tidal waves and inundating the land over long distances
of even upto 15km inland..
Physical damage – structures will be damaged or
destroyed by the wind force, flooding and storm surge.
Light pitched roofs of most structures especially the ones
fitted on to industrial buildings will suffer severe damage.
A bridge destroyed by the high-velocity winds
and floods during the cyclone.
Casualties and public heath – caused by flooding and flying elements, contamination of water supplies
may lead to viral outbreaks, diarrhea, and malaria.
Water supplies – Ground and piped water supply may get contaminated by flood waters
Crops and food supplies – high winds and rains will ruin the standing crop and food stock lying in low
lying areas. Plantation type crops such as banana and coconut are extremely vulnerable. Salt from the
sea water may be deposited on the agricultural land and increase the salinity. The loss of the crop may
lead to acute food shortage.
Communication – severe disruption in the communication links as the wind may bring down the electricity
and communication towers, electricity and telephone poles, telephone lines, antennas and satellite disk
and broadcasting services. Transport lines (road and rail) may be curtailed. Relief materials may not
reach the affected site.
INDIAN CYCLONES
The coastal areas are subjected to severe wind storms and cyclonic storms. A full-grown cyclone is a
violent whirl in the atmosphere 150 to 1000 km across, 10 to 15 km high. Gale winds of 150 to 250 kmph
or more spiral around the center of very low pressure area. Torrential rains, occasional thunder and
lightning flashes - join these under an overcast black canopy. Through these churned chaotic sea and
atmosphere, the cyclone moves 300 to 500 km, in a day to hit or skirt along a coast, bringing with it storm
surges as high as 3 to 12 metres, as if splashing a part of the sea sometimes up to 30 km inland leaving
behind death and destructions. A storm surge is the sudden abnormal rise in the sea level caused by
cyclone. The sea water flows across the coast as well as inland and then recedes back to the sea. Great
loss of life and property takes place in the process.
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