Cyclonic storms have affected 45 million people in India since 2019

Cyclone Remal touched 74 kmph; Cyclone Tauktae in 2021 was worse, with wind speeds raging at 222 kmph

Cyclone Remal, which made landfall in West Bengal on Sunday and had speeds upto 74 km per hour (kmph), has so far claimed one life, and disrupted travel in several parts of West Bengal.

Since 2019, cyclonic storms and resultant flooding have affected 45 million people in India, according to disaster database EM-DAT. 

 

Cyclone Fani, which struck Odisha in 2019, claimed 50 lives and impacted 20 million people. It was one of the worst cyclones to ever hit the state of Odisha. 

The next year, Cyclone Amphan claimed 90 lives and impacted 18 million persons, mainly in West Bengal and Odisha. A year later, in 2021, Cyclone Tauktae, which made landfall in Gujarat, hit the western coast, impacting 700,000 people and claiming 200 lives (chart 1).

 

Cyclones with higher wind speeds tend to cause greater damage to life and property. For instance, Tauktae made landfall with wind speeds of 222 kmph. Amphan hit at 185 kmph and Biparjoy, which impacted Gujarat’s Kutch region, touched 125 kmph. Cyclone Remal had a wind speed of 74 kmph in Kolkata according to the India Meteorological Department (chart 2).