Assessing the Impact of Super Cyclone Amphan on Indian Sundarban Biosphere Reserve

Evaluation of a natural disaster's impact is essential for formulating preparedness, mitigation, and response plans. This study evaluates the impact of super cyclone Amphan, which hit the Indian Sundarban Biosphere Reserve on May 20, 2020. Pre-and post-cyclone land use/land cover (LULC) maps were created using LANDSAT 8 OLI, while flood inundation was mapped using Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud platform and Sentinel-1 A C band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). The study revealed that tropical cyclone Amphan had a significant impact on dense/mangrove vegetation (5%) and agricultural (2%), as well as an increase in flooded areas (40%). The proximity of 3% (290.62 km²) of the area near the path of the cyclone was impacted by flooding, particularly in low elevation areas (5m). The investigation observed thatcyclone Amphan caused extensive damage to open vegetation, agricultural lands, and urban areas. These findings provide a quantifiable estimate of cyclone Amphan's damage and will help decision-makers improve disaster preparedness. Native-based intervention initiatives, including natural ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction strategies, can be implemented to promote and conserve mangroves, rehabilitate human populations from highly vulnerable areas to safer areas, and ensure their livelihood security in cyclone-prone regions.