Impact assessment of tropical cyclone Tauktae on coastal region of Gujarat, India

Abstract

Tropical cyclones are among the most destructive forces on the globe, and their powerful winds, high devastating storm surges, and major flooding are all capable of causing widespread devastation. Tropical cyclones generally originate over big amounts of warm water mass. Tauktae began from a tropical disturbance that the India Meteorological Department initially tracked on May 13th, 2021 with initial signs of development in Indian Ocean. A sudden intensification to a severe cyclonic storm occurred when Tauktae began to parallel the coasts of the Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The storm increased in intensity on May 17th and reached its peak intensity soon thereafter. The eye wall was replaced later in the same day, and weakened, before rebounding after it reached the shore of Gujarat. Tropical Cyclone Tauktae made landfall on May 17, 2021 in Diu, Gujarat, damaging agricultural farms and other residential and industrial structures in the area. This article incorporates an overview of effect on severely impacted area in the Gujarat region due to tropical cyclone, known as Tauktae. The wind speeds are estimated to be between 180 and 225 kilometers per hour during severe cyclonic condition. Around 64 people died in Gujarat as a result of the devastating Tauktae cyclone, while 55,384 dwellings were destroyed. More than 1,000 poles were uprooted and 2,400 settlements had outages in their electricity supply. This study seeks to identify who might be at risk in various situations. As a result, it has been concluded that 45 people had lost their lives in Gujarat on 19th May, 2021 by Cyclone Tauktae. A devastating cyclone Tauktae through the state of Gujarat on 17th May, 2021, leaving behind a path of destruction in the hardest-hit region, which was located in the Amreli district of Saurashtra. Eight individuals were dead in Bhavnagar and Gir Somnath coastal areas. The five persons dead in Ahmedabad, two in Kheda, and one each from the following five districts: Anand, Vadodara, Surat, Valsad, Rajkot, and Navsari had lost their lives. PTI said that the highest number of deaths, 24, occurred when the building walls collapsed during the cyclone. Five each died due to house collapse and roof collapse, while four were killed by roof collapse and one was killed when a tower collapsed, officials said in Gujarat state. On 19th May, 2021 the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, visited the affected area that has been caused in Gujarat and Diu, which is part of Gujarat. According to the Gujarat state Chief Minister, more than 16,000 houses were damaged, and over 40,000 trees and 1,000 posts were uprooted due to the cyclone. As a result of the cyclone, 169 people perished in India, and around 80 people were missing. Thirteen people died in Kerala, eight in Karnataka, three in Goa, eighteen in Maharashtra, and sixty-six in Gujarat. More than 11 million people have been affected, and nearly a million people have been evacuated. More than 56,000 houses have been damaged as a result. More than 40,000 trees have been damaged as well as 69,429 power poles and a staggering 196 roadways. Loss of the water supply in 5,951 settlements was as well. According to the RMSI Cyclone Model, the projected monetary loss due to the cyclone was ₹15,000 crore (US$, or around $2.1 billion USD). In the pre monsoon season, the Arabian Sea has warmed up by roughly 1.4°C since the late 1970s, thanks to global warming. The severity and frequency of cyclones in the Arabian Sea have also been shown to be on the rise. This information comes from the India Meteorological Department, which found that a pre-monsoon (April–June) cyclone formed for four consecutive years from 2018 to 2021 in the Arabian Sea for the first time in 40 years. This quick intensification is observed in cyclones in the Arabian Sea, which intensify from a mild storm to a severe storm over a short period of time.This study's findings will be beneficial to officials in the field of disaster management, as well as those in public health. These findings will assist officials in determining how to minimize the loss of life and property during cyclones in India.