Cyclone Early Warnings

How Odisha cut cyclone deaths dramatically from the 1999 super cyclone to Phailin in 2013 through early warnings and evacuation, a model of cost-effective preparation.

Early warnings save lives.

1999 super cyclone

A super cyclone in Odisha in 1999 killed about 10,000 people.

Preparation

Odisha built cyclone shelters, trained volunteers and improved warnings.

Phailin

In 2013, Cyclone Phailin was similarly strong, but about a million people were evacuated, and deaths were far fewer.

Fani

In 2019, Cyclone Fani saw another mass evacuation.

Economics

Warnings and shelters cost much less than the lives and assets they save.

Property losses

Early warnings save lives but property damage remains high.

The evacuation

Before Phailin, officials moved about a million people to shelters, saving thousands of lives.

Thinking disasters are unavoidable tragedies

Preparation hugely reduces deaths.

Key takeaways

The 1999 cyclone killed about 10,000.
Odisha built shelters and warnings.
Phailin in 2013 saw far fewer deaths.
Warnings are highly cost-effective.