Over 11.7 lakh people affected, more than 2.5 lakh evacuated, 56,000+ houses damaged—Cyclone Tauktae left a trail of destruction behind; for many, the setback was irreversible.

When a natural disaster strikes and fails to become TRP fodder, its impact is reported and read as mere numbers and statistics, with little empathy towards the lives lost and families destroyed.

Cyclone Tauktae, followed by cyclone Yaas were such disasters—masses knew these were coming, but could never fully feel how deadly the simple combination of rain and wind could be. Tauktae, which made landfall near Una in Gujarat, severely affected, not just Gujarat, but also Kerala, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. Yaas on the other hand hit the Eastern coast, causing widespread destruction in Odisha and West Bengal.

Impact

Cyclone Tauktae took over 169 lives, more than 2 lakh were evacuated from their homes in Gujarat alone, and hundreds went missing across states (most rescued). However, the deaths were caused, unfortunately, by administrative inefficiencies resulting from decades of ignorance—trees and electric poles collapsing over people, drowning accidents, and boats that capsized. In total around 6,000 villages were affected, some of which were completely submerged under water.

A video of a tugboat stuck in the cyclone was uploaded on the internet, giving people a sense of what the storm was like—a terrifying quest for survival, down to the last breath. Some people on the tugboat were rescued, while most never made it back home.

Cyclone Yaas took far lesser lives but destroyed many more livelihoods—thousands of villages went completely underwater. Over 4,500 villages were affected in West Bengal alone. Powerlines were knocked down, leading to long outages in affected areas. Odisha, which has India's best disaster response mechanism in place, was successful in saving most lives. West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar were a tragic spectacle.

Rescue ops and aftermath

As the MET department released continuous updates on both the cyclones, respective state administrations, along with the Armed forces, geared up to brace for impact.

The PM held review meetings prior to landfall to check preparedness. Kerala banned all fishing activities in the state and nine teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were dispatched to strategic locations. COVID-19 patients were evacuated to special treatment centres, and medical supplies along with extra oxygen was arranged. Vaccine drives were suspended.

In total, the NDRF deployed more than 4,700 people over six states during cyclone Tauktae. Airports suspended operations in Mumbai and Lakshadweep, sea bridges were temporarily closed, and the Armed forces were called upon to be on standby.

Barge P-305 and Tugboat 'Varapradha'

If not for the tact and experience of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, the loss would have been far greater.

Barge P305 (barges are vessels that commonly require to be pulled by tugboats), which sank in the Arabian sea, had 261 people living on board. They worked in the ONGC oil rig, in the nearby Heera oil field situated 70kms off Mumbai's coast.

As Tauktae tore across the sea, the barge collided with the oil rig and started to sink. In a Search And Rescue (SAR) operation that followed, Indian Naval Forces rescued 188 people and recovered 37 bodies. This was achieved in zero visibility, when getting airborne was close to impossible.

Elsewhere, Tugboat Varapradha, whose video was uploaded on the internet, was caught in the storm with 13 members onboard and sent out a distress flare when the sea became dangerous. To their luck, the flare was spotted by INS Kolkata stationed nearby, which immediately initiated a rescue operation. Only two members could make it out alive.

An enquiry has been set up to investigate how these vessels came to be stuck at sea.

Odisha, a model state in this regard, has time and again proven that effective disaster response machinery can be set up and operated independently by states. Its efforts have received international acclaim, with the UN praising it on multiple occasions for managing natural disasters well. Their death toll during Yaas was 3, compared to tens and hundreds of lives lost in other states. Notably, Odisha also denied monetary relief for the cyclone from the union government, suggesting that the funds could be put to better use.

Losing family and friends to falling trees and electric poles are indicators of extremely poor state administration and misguided priorities by past governments. What should be managed by states cannot be made the responsibility of the Indian Armed Forces, who are forced to rescue people from situations they were never supposed to be in the first place!