What Happens Years After a Cyclone Hits? (ft. Ruhie Kumar & Surabhi Gajbhaye)

The Big Story

Cyclones are a characteristic feature of the Indian coastline and every year we see a few cyclones create severe damage to the east as well as the west coast. As we deal with the havoc left by Cyclone Biparjoy, on this episode of The Big Story, we want to understand what happens to the communities, people, and their livelihoods once they are rehabilitated. What does that process look like? What kind of mental health problems can come up? Are the long-term effects of cyclones properly understood and worked on?

We also delve into the patterns of cyclones in India and their relation to climate change.

We are joined by two guests on the chat - Ruhie Kumar and Surabhi Gajbhiye. Ruhie Kumar is an independent climate strategist, who has worked on breaking down the technical jargon and simplifying climate change for various audiences. Surabhi Gajbhiye currently works as Program Director - consultant at SAAD (a Nagpur-based NGO). She has been working in the humanitarian sector for the past decade on thematic areas of rural development, DRR, child safety, mental health climate change, and sustainable development.

Chapters

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. What is cyclone & how do they form? (00:13:17)

3. How are cyclones predicted? (00:16:30)

4. Cyclone Trends in India (00:20:17)

5. Our preparedness for Cyclones (00:22:20)

6. What are the immediate and long-term impacts? (00:29:30)

7. How is Govt. dealing with long-term impacts? (00:43:55)

8. How can we be prepared for natural calamities? (00:55:10)

9. Using pop culture to educate people (01:02:00)

10. Outro (01:05:00)