Cyclone Remal carries a warning for the northeastern states. Remal, after its landfall over the West Bengal-Bangladesh coast turned into a cyclonic storm and battered large parts of India’s northeast killing at least 32 persons. The northeastern states are accustomed to heavy rains and floods, but cyclonic storms are rare in the region. However, at a time of major shifts in weather patterns, inevitable in the time of climate crisis, such unexpected events may become more the norm than the exception. In Arunachal Pradesh, Remal, left a trail of devastation with red alert in four districts.
Even though there was no loss of lives, the cyclone did damage properties. With climate change such kind of cyclonic activities are expected more in the days to come. The government of Arunachal Pradesh should start making long-term plans to tackle cyclones in the future. The disaster management department and district administration in the state are not used to dealing with cyclone-related devastation. They have been mostly trained to tackle heavy rains, landslides, floods, etc. It is time to start focusing on cyclonic storms. At present it may be rare but in the future, we should be prepared for more such devastation.