Natural Disasters- Cyclone,

Thunder and Lightning

J. NANDHINI
M.TECH (SWCE)
2020-18-011
Introduction

Disaster Management is how we deal with the

human, material, economic or environmental
impacts of the disaster, it is the process of how we
“prepare for, respond to and learn from the effects
of major failures”.
Disaster Management Cycle
Cyclone

 Cyclone is defined as the mass of air that rotates

around the centre of low pressure on a large scale.
 Cyclone is characterized by inward spiralling
winds, rotating clockwise (southern hemisphere) or
anticlockwise (northern hemisphere).
What causes cyclone?
 Cyclones are centred on areas of low atmospheric pressure,
usually near the equator.

 The warm moist air over the ocean rises from the surface in
the upward direction, resulting in the formation of the low-
pressure zone over the surface.

 Air from the surrounding region, with higher pressure,

pushes into low-pressure area.

 The cool air becomes warm and moist and rises again, thus
the cycle continues.
 As the warm air rises, the moisture in the air cools thus
leading to the formation of cloud.
 The whole system grows gradually and becomes fast with
time.
 As a result of this, an eye is created in the centre.
 Likewise, the low-pressure area gets continually filled with
high-pressure wind. Thus creating a cyclone.

Fig: Cyclone
Types of Cyclones

Cyclones are classified into

1) Tropical cyclones
2) Temperate cyclone (extra tropical cyclone)

 The differences between these types are primarily based

on their place of occurrence.
1) Tropical Cyclone:

 The storms that originate over a warm tropical ocean are

termed as tropical cyclones.

 Low atmospheric pressure, high winds and heavy

rainfall are characteristics of these types of cyclones.

 Parts of the atlantic region, pacific ocean, Indian ocean

witness tropical cyclones affecting Gulf coast of North
America, northwestern Australia, and eastern India and
Bangladesh along with other areas.
2) Temperate Cyclone

 These are storms that occur outside the tropics.

 These are referred to as extratropical cyclones.
 Other names are frontal cyclones and wave
cyclones.
 They occur in polar regions, temperate and high
latitudes.
 Fig: Cyclone classification into five different levels on
the basis of wind speed.

Fig: Five different levels of Cyclone based on Wind speed

Cyclones in India

Bhola Cyclone 1970

Odisha Cyclone 1999

Varadah Cyclone 2016

Gaja Cyclone 2018

Fani Cyclone 2019

Amphan Cyclone 2020

Nisarga Cyclone 2020

Nivar Cyclone 2020

Cyclone Disaster Management
Mitigation Measures:
1) Hazard Mapping
- It suggests that using hazard mapping, one can
predict the vulnerable areas affected by the storms. It maps
the pattern of old cyclones using their wind speed, areas
affected, flooding frequency etc.

2) Land use planning

- With the effective implementation of land use
planning, the key activities and settlements can be avoided
in the most vulnerable areas.
3) Engineered structures
- These structures withstand the wind forces and
prove to mitigate the losses. The public infrastructure of the
country should be designed keeping in mind the hazard
mapping of the cyclone.

4) Retrofitting Non-Engineered Structures-

- The settlements in non-engineered structures
should ensure that they are aware of their houses’ resistance to
the wind or certain disastrous weather conditions.
 Cyclone Sheltering
 Flood management
 Vegetation Cover Improvement
 Mangrove plantation
 Levees
 Awareness of the public
India’s initiatives
1) National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project
- to undertake structural and non structural measures to
mitigate the cyclone’s effects.
2) Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Project.
- aims to bring a comprehensive plan to manage coastal
areas.
3) Coastal Regulation Zones (CRZ)
- to protect & conserve the environment and ecosystem on
the coastline.
4) IMD’s Colour coding of cyclones.
- is a warning issued to aware people, four colours are
Green, Yellow, Orange and Red.
Thunderstorm

 Also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, or a

thunder shower.
 It is a type of storm characterized by the presence of lightning
and its acoustic effect on the earth’s atmosphere known as
thunder.
 Thunder is actually a shockwave, the sound, made after
lightning strikes.
 It is produced by cumulonimbus cloud, usually producing
gusty wind, heavy rain and sometimes hail.
What causes thunderstorms?

 When a lightning bolt travels from the cloud to the ground, it

actually opens up a little hole in air called channel.

 Once the light is gone the air collapses back and creates a
sound wave that we hear as thunder.
Fig: Thunderstorm Formation
Fig: Thunderstorm
How many Thunderstorms are there?

 Worldwide, there are an estimated 16 million

thunderstorms each year, and at any given moment,
there are roughly 2,000 thunderstorms in progress.
Types of Thunderstorm

 There are three types:

 Ordinary or single cell storm.
 Multi cell cluster storm.
 Super cell storm.
Single cell thunderstorms

 Rare and occur randomly.

 Not more than 30 mins.
 Not severe.
 Difficult to predict.

Fig: Single cell thunderstorms

Multi cell cluster storms

 Most common.  Can even generate weak

 Can last for few hours. tornadoes.
 Produce moderate-sized  Characterized by a line
hail. of thunderstorms that
feed and contribute to
each other.
Supercell storm

 Tornado winds are  Rare in occurrence.

severe.
 Greatest threat to life and
property.

Fig: Supercell Storm

Are Thunderstorms Dangerous?
 Flash floods, large hailstones are usually the result of
thunderstorms.
 Flash floods, kills more people each year than hurricanes,
tornadoes or lightning.
 Tornadoes and waterspouts are produced by thunderstorm
cells that are stronger.
 Heavy precipitation.
 Hails up to the size of softballs can cause lots of damage to
vehicles and even kill livestock when it is not under any
shelter.

 Trees, power lines and lots of public properties get damaged

by strong winds associated with thunderstorms.

 Tornadoes having speeds around 300mph can destroy

everything sparing just the best-built-man- made structures.
Thunderstorms – Do’s and Don’ts
Before
 Check the weather forecast before leaving for extended
periods outdoors.
 Have disaster supplies on hand.
 Check for hazards in the yard. Dead or rotting trees and
branches can fall during a severe thunderstorm and cause
injury and damage.
During

If indoors:

 Do not handle any electrical equipment or telephones

because lightning could follow the wire.
 Avoid bathtubs, water faucets and sinks because metal pipes
can transmit electricity.
If outdoors:

 Attempt to get into a building or car.

 Avoid tall structures such as towers, tall trees, fences
etc.,
 If you are isolated in a level field drop to your knees
and bend forward, putting your hands on your knees.
Do not lie flat on the ground.
After

 Never drive through a flooded roadway.

 Stay away from the downed power lines and report
them immediately.
Thunderstorm in India
 In April 13, 2010, a severe storm struck parts of Bangladesh
and Eastern India.

 It lasted about 90 minutes, more than 140 deaths are

reported.

 Over 91,000 dwellings were destroyed in India and several

thousand in Bangladesh.
Thunderstorm detection
Satellites:
-takes pictures at regular intervals, tells us where cloud is
located, rapidly growing clouds is a clue to possible
thunderstorm.

Radar:
-can detect rain and severe weather even when it is
cloudy or dark.
-Doppler radar sends out electromagnetic radiation, the
amount of energy that is reflected back can tell how heavy
the rain might be.
Lightning

 Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbalances

between storm clouds and the ground or within the clouds
themselves. Most lightning occurs within the clouds.

 Chance of being struck by lightning is 1 in 6,00,000.

 Total energy released 40 GJ.

 Lightning can travel at speed of 3,00,000 m/sec.

 Lightning heats nearby air to about 10,000˚C.

 Benjamin Franklin who prove that lightning is cause by
static electric charges in the cloud.

 When the clouds fill up with electric charges the positive

charges from at the top of the cloud and negative charges
from at the bottom, causes lightning.

 Lightning is responsible for many fires around the

world each year and causes fatalities.
Fig: Lightning Formation
Types of lightning
 Intra-cloud lightning: Lightning happens inside a cloud.

 Cloud to ground Lightning: Lightning that hits the earth from

a cloud.

 Bead Lightning: A brighter version of cloud to ground

lightning.

 Cloud to cloud lightning: Lightning that goes from one to

another.

 Ball Lightning: Lightning that comes in the shape of a ball in a

thunderstorm.
Fig: Types of Lightning
Lightning Safety: Before the Calamity

 Find a shelter house.

 Outdoor activities must be postponed if there are signs

of a developing thunderstorm such as darkening skies,
flashes or strong winds.

 Lightning conductors must be installed in buildings or

any other elevated structures. Lightning conductors are
metal rods or metallic objects mounted on the top of an
elevated structure. This is electrically bonded using an
electrical conductor
 It is interfaced with the
ground through an
electrode. During an
event of a lightning
strike, the flashes
strike the rod and get
conducted through the
wire to the ground,
instead of passing
through the structure.

Fig: Lightning Rod

Safety measures during the calamity

 One must avoid open areas and stay away from isolated
trees, towers, or electrical poles as lightning tends to strike
the tallest object in an area.

 One must stay away from conductors such as fences and

wires & electrical appliances.

 In a situation where a sturdy building is difficult to locate

nearby, a hard-topped metal vehicle with closed windows
must be used as a shelter.
 Taking shower or using the plumbing must be
avoided during a storm.

 One must avoid being stuck in a crowd and must

spread out.
After the calamity

 If someone is struck by lightning, urgent medical

attention must be provided. Cardiac arrest is the
immediate cause of death in most of these situations.
THANK YOU