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| Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan | |
|---|---|
| Name | Amphan |
| Basin | North Indian Ocean |
| Year | 2020 |
| Formedd | 16 May 2020 |
| Dissipated | 21 May 2020 |
| Peak wind | 240 km/h |
| Pressure | 931 hPa |
| Areas affected | India; Bangladesh; Myanmar; Sri Lanka; Bhutan |
| Fatalities | 118+ |
| Damages | $13 billion (est.) |
Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan was an extremely severe tropical cyclone that struck the Bay of Bengal region in May 2020, making landfall near Sundarbans and affecting parts of West Bengal, Odisha, and Bangladesh. It intensified rapidly from a depression over the Andaman Sea to a super cyclonic storm, producing devastating storm surge, wind damage, and flooding across densely populated coastal areas. The cyclone coincided with the global COVID-19 pandemic, complicating evacuation, relief, and recovery operations coordinated by multiple national and international agencies.
Amphan originated from a low-pressure area over the Andaman Sea associated with the monsoon trough and a convectively coupled Kelvin wave. The system was monitored by the India Meteorological Department, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, and the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, which issued successive advisories as the system intensified from a depression to a deep depression and then to a cyclonic storm. Favorable sea surface temperatures in the Bay of Bengal, low vertical wind shear, and high ocean heat content contributed to rapid intensification, comparable meteorologically to past events like Cyclone Sidr (2007), Cyclone Fani (2019), and the 1999 Orissa cyclone. Amphan reached peak sustained winds and a minimum central pressure that placed it among the strongest cyclones in the basin, with a compact but intense eyewall, before weakening slightly prior to landfall near the Sundarbans delta shared by India and Bangladesh.
Early warnings prompted coordinated actions by national and subnational authorities, including the National Disaster Management Authority (India), the Bangladesh Armed Forces, the West Bengal State Disaster Management Authority, and port authorities in Kolkata. Meteorological agencies issued storm warnings, cyclone alerts, and predicted storm surge heights that informed evacuations from low-lying districts such as North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Khulna Division, and Chittagong Division. Evacuation centers included facilities managed by the Indian Navy, the Indian Air Force, the Border Security Force (India), and local municipal bodies in Kolkata Municipal Corporation. International organizations such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies coordinated with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank on contingency financing and early recovery plans. Public health directives during the COVID-19 pandemic required sheltering strategies coordinated with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (India) and the Directorate General of Health Services (Bangladesh).
Amphan caused widespread destruction across West Bengal, Odisha, and Bangladesh, with severe impacts reported in Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas, and coastal districts of Khulna Division. The cyclone produced storm surge that inundated parts of the Sundarbans mangrove forest, damaging habitat for species such as the Bengal tiger. Infrastructure damage included collapsed homes, uprooted transmission lines managed by Power Grid Corporation of India, and widespread telecommunications outages affecting networks operated by Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Grameenphone. The Port of Kolkata and Haldia experienced disruptions, and airport operations at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport were suspended. Agricultural losses were severe in paddy- and aquaculture-dependent districts, with impacts on rice paddies, shrimp farms, and livelihoods of fishing communities. Reported fatalities and injuries overwhelmed mortuary and hospital capacities, including facilities under the National Health Mission (India) and Bangladesh Ministry of Health.
Immediate response involved search, rescue, and relief teams from the National Disaster Response Force (India), the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard, and Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion and Bangladesh Army. Relief distribution was coordinated by state governments, municipal authorities, and non-governmental organizations such as Pratham, Oxfam, and the International Committee of the Red Cross with supplies from the Ministry of Home Affairs (India) and humanitarian assistance overseen by the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh. Restoration of power and communications involved the Central Electricity Authority (India) and telecom operators in public–private coordination. International offers of assistance and financing were discussed with institutions including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and bilateral partners like the United Kingdom and Japan.
Recovery efforts focused on debris clearance, restoring critical infrastructure, rebuilding housing, and rehabilitating affected livelihoods through programs administered by the State Disaster Response Fund (India), the National Disaster Management Authority (India), and Bangladesh's Cyclone Preparedness Programme. Reconstruction plans considered resilient design standards promoted by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and technical guidance from the UN Environment Programme and United Nations Development Programme. The rebuilding of mangroves in the Sundarbans involved collaboration between the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (India), the Forest Department (West Bengal), and international conservation NGOs such as WWF.
Environmental impacts included salinization of agricultural soils, defoliation and mortality in mangrove stands within the Sundarbans, and ecological stress on species such as Indian pangolin and Irrawaddy dolphin populations in estuarine habitats. Economic losses affected sectors tracked by the Reserve Bank of India and the Bangladesh Bank, including agriculture, fisheries, transport, and urban services, contributing to estimated aggregate damages assessed by insurers such as ICICI Lombard and Prudential plc-linked analysts. The cyclone strained supply chains for commodities traded on the Calcutta Stock Exchange and affected port throughput at Kolkata Port Trust and Chittagong Port Authority.
Amphan's rapid intensification and impact during the 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season led to studies by research institutions including the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, and international centers such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA on climate linkage and predictive modeling. The storm prompted policy discussions within the NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Home Affairs (India), and Bangladesh's Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief about urban resilience in megacities like Kolkata and improved cyclone preparedness in delta regions, influencing revisions to building codes and coastal zone management plans. Amphan is referenced alongside cyclones such as Cyclone Nargis and Cyclone Sidr in analyses of hazard risk, regional cooperation, and the role of early warning systems in reducing mortality.
Category:2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season Category:Tropical cyclones in India Category:Tropical cyclones in Bangladesh