Role of multi-purpose cyclone shelters in India: Last mile or neighbourhood evacuation

Abstract

India follows a strategy of having Multi-Purpose Cyclone Shelters along the coastline for tropical cyclone risk mitigation. These shelters are meant to provide refuge to vulnerable populations at the time of a cyclonic storm and otherwise to be used as school, community centres etc. This paper aims to examine the exact role which these Multi-Purpose Cyclone Shelters seek to perform; as a safe shelter for people living in a tropical cyclone threatened region or meant for those who fail to evacuate due to various reasons. Based on qualitative method and field work conducted after four cyclones which made landfall on India's east coast during 2013–19, this study argues that lack of clarity over its role has led to an emphasis on increasing number of Multi-Purpose Cyclone Shelters proportionate to the population size without due examination of its safety and sustainability aspects.