Disaster risk reduction
Preparedness can save lives: We identify risks and prepare people for natural disasters.
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Hurricane, typhoon, cyclone: Donate to our preparedness & emergency relief
Tropical cyclones such as hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones destroy the livelihoods of countless people every year. With wind speeds of up to 380 kilometers per hour, they hit the coasts of North and South America, Africa and Asia and have devastating consequences.
Hurricanes cause severe damage to infrastructure and destroy food sources. This is particularly alarming when poor countries and population groups are already affected by the impact of the storms. Cyclones are on the rise due to climate change.
Through targeted disaster preparedness and acute emergency aid after severe storms, Malteser International ensures that the livelihoods of people in affected areas are safeguarded and rebuilt. With your donation you support our worldwide disaster preparedness and emergency relief activities.
Formation and destructive power of hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones
Hurricane types and occurrences: the different names
“Hurricane” is one of several names for a tropical cyclone. The exact name depends on the region in which the cyclone forms. The term hurricane, for example, only refers to cyclones on the coasts of North and South America. In addition to their different names depending on the region, the storms also occur more frequently at different times of the year. You can see the types of cyclone and their occurrence in the following table.
| Hurricane type | Region of origin | Season and occurrence |
| Hurricane | Northern Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico | All year round in the Pacific, peak season between August and September; in the Atlantic between the beginning of June and the end of November |
| Typhoon | Northwest Pacific | All year round, peak season in August and September |
| Cyclone | Indian Ocean, Southwest Pacific, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal | All year round, peak season in May and June as well as October and November |
| Willy-Willy | Indian Ocean off Indonesia and northern Australia | Beginning of January to end of March |
By the way: Although tornadoes and hurricanes are also strong storms, tornadoes do not form over the sea and hurricanes occur entirely outside the tropics. Therefore, tornadoes and hurricanes do not count as tropical cyclones.
At what wind force and speed is a hurricane considered a hurricane?
The wind speed is the deciding factor in distinguishing between a tropical depression, a storm and a cyclone. A wind speed of 118 km/h or more is a tropical cyclone, whereas a tropical storm is between 63 and 118 km/h and a tropical depression is between 8 and 62 km/h. Cyclones such as hurricanes can be divided into five categories based on their intensity.
Intensity of hurricanes - Category 1 to 5
| Category 1 | 119 to 154 km/h |
| Category 2 | 155 to 177 km/h |
| Category 3 | 178 to 210 km/h |
| Category 4 | 211 to 249 km/h |
| Category 5 | More than 250 km/h |
How do hurricanes form?
Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones mainly form over water at a water temperature of at least 26.5 °C. Large amounts of water evaporate and humid air rises. This causes thunderclouds to form. An air pressure gradient within the storm draws air masses close to the earth towards the center of the storm. The rotation of the earth causes the hurricane, cyclone or typhoon with a diameter of several kilometers to rotate. Hurricanes over the sea can then move towards the mainland, causing flooding and considerable damage.
Will climate change lead to an increase in hurricanes?
Due to rising water temperatures well above 26.5 °C, as can be observed in the Atlantic Ocean and elsewhere, the risk of hurricanes is also increasing. Record temperatures of over 30 °C in the Atlantic caused by climate change could lead to an increase in hurricanes and cyclones in the future. Climate researchers and scientists are not yet in agreement as to whether the accumulation of strong storms in recent years provides a glimpse into the future or is merely an outlier, but warm sea temperatures, which are increasing due to climate change, are a crucial factor in the formation of hurricanes and their intensity is increasing. 2020 is considered a record hurricane year and the 2021 hurricane season started earlier than usual. India was hit by two consecutive severe cyclones “Trauktae” and “Yaas” in May 2021.
Warning and forecasts for the formation of hurricanes
Officially, the hurricane season begins on June 1 each year. However, the National Hurricane Center, which is responsible for monitoring and forecasting hurricanes, has already started issuing regular hurricane warnings in mid-May 2021, as tropical cyclones have usually occurred before the official start in recent years.
As soon as a hurricane has formed, meteorologists can calculate the development of the storm for up to ten days in advance. Data from weather stations on the ground, on ships, from airplanes or satellites provide information about the intensity and wind speed of the hurricane. Statistics from past hurricanes and complex simulations - taking into account the laws of physics - are also used to predict the behavior of the storm. This makes it possible to make at least partial statements about the destructive power of hurricanes so that appropriate protective measures can be taken.
The destructive consequences of hurricanes and other cyclones
The destructive power of hurricanes stems from their wide diameter, which can be several kilometers, and the extreme wind speeds. Hurricanes often result in heavy rainfall, high wind speeds and storm surges and can cause catastrophic destruction through landslides and flooding.
Homes or even entire villages are often damaged or completely destroyed, leaving many people homeless. This is particularly devastating for regions and population groups that are already vulnerable. Oftentimes they lose their entire livelihood due to hurricanes.
Damage to overhead lines, drinking water sources and sanitary facilities often leads to the collapse of the water supply. The likelihood of contracting typhoid, cholera or malaria then increases rapidly, particularly in tropical and poorer countries.
Major hurricanes in recent years
Every year, people are affected by hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons and their often devastating effects and damage. Some of the most devastating hurricanes in recent years are listed below.
- Hurricane “Katrina” (2005) in the Caribbean and on the east coast of the United States: 1836 deaths
- Cyclone Nargis (2008) in Myanmar: 84,500 deaths
- Typhoon Haiyan (2013) in the Philippines: 6,166 deaths
- Cyclone Idai (2019) in Mozambique: over 700 deaths
The 2020 season was one of two recorded hurricane seasons to date in which the set number of 21 names for tropical cyclones within a year was not sufficient. To name tropical cyclones, the US weather service compiles six lists of 21 names every six years. This number is usually sufficient for one year. In 2020, due to the high number of tropical cyclones, letters of the Greek alphabet had to be used. For the seventh year in a row, the 2021 hurricane season began before the official start on June 1.
People will continue to suffer the consequences of hurricanes in the future. It is not only the intensity of the hurricane that matters, but also how well the population is prepared. Support us in our efforts to provide active disaster preparedness on the ground and help people in the next crisis.
Hurricanes in which Malteser International was involved
As part of our disaster relief efforts, we were on the ground with our partner organizations after the following severe hurricanes:
- Cyclone “Yaas” (2021) in India/Bangladesh: After the second cyclone in a very short time for the region, first responders from our local partners Mukti Foundation, COAST Trust and Gonoshasthaya Kendra were deployed with emergency aid measures against the storm surge.
- Cyclone “Amphan” (2020) in India: Together with our local partners, we initiated emergency relief measures to combat the effects of the heavy rainfall. In particular, the world's largest refugee camp in Cox's Bazar was threatened by the devastation and also by COVID-19 infections.
- Typhoon “Kammuri” (2019) in the Philippines: around 80,000 people had to be housed in evacuation facilities. In order to support people in their reconstruction efforts, we handed out cash and vouchers valued at € 50,000 to those affected.
- Hurricane "Dorian" (2019) in the Bahamas: Following the severe category 5 hurricane, which affected over 70,000 people, we helped our local partners to provide relief supplies and emergency shelters and coordinate relief efforts. We also supported the reconstruction of schools.
- Cyclone “Idai” (2019) in Mozambique: An emergency aid team was on site for two months immediately after the disaster and provided emergency aid to prevent the outbreak of a cholera epidemic, among other things.
- Typhoon “Mangkhut” (2018) in the Philippines: Shortly after the natural disaster, we were on site to distribute food and household items and put a water treatment plant into operation.
- Hurricane “Harvey” (2017) in Houston: After the flooding caused by the hurricane, our mission consisted of initiating relief measures to provide the best possible support to the aid workers on the ground.
- Hurricane “Matthew” (2016) in Haiti: After the force 4 hurricane, our operations team was on the ground and provided urgently needed emergency aid, particularly in the worst-affected slums.
Our operations before and after hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones
In order to mitigate the devastating effects of hurricanes and other tropical cyclones, disaster risk reduction is an important pillar of our humanitarian work. We want to better prepare the population for future natural disasters so that they do not become a humanitarian catastrophe. Together with the people in affected regions, we identify risks in the surrounding area, draw up emergency plans and prepare protection and evacuation measures in the event of a hurricane. The inclusion of all people, especially disadvantaged population groups and people with disabilities, is very important to us. As many people as possible should be evacuated before a hurricane hits. This can be trained in advance so that behavior in an emergency becomes routine.
Training and equipping local disaster preparedness teams as well as training and deployment exercises help to save lives in an emergency and reduce the impact of hurricanes. This includes training locals on drinking water and sanitation supplies and hygiene practices in the event of a disaster.
In the event of a disaster, we help with the distribution of urgently needed relief supplies, with prevention measures in the area of hygiene and, if necessary, with mobile medical care teams. In our disaster prevention projects, we rely on the help of local people and respond where help is most urgently needed. We are dependent on your help in order to continue to provide these measures: Support our disaster preparedness with your donation so that we can prepare people in vulnerable regions and save lives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cyclones form over tropical seas with water temperatures of 26.5 degrees Celsius and above. Two thirds of these tropical cyclones form in the northern hemisphere, but they also occur in the western Atlantic, North Pacific, Indian Ocean and the southwest Pacific off Australia. Depending on the region in which they occur, they are called hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones or willy-wills.
2020 is considered a record year for the occurrence of cyclones. Not only were there an unusually high number of hurricanes that year, they also occurred earlier, lasted longer throughout the year and were more severe. 2021 is already another record year. One reason for this is climate change, as it is causing the oceans to warm and the water to rise to record temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius in some places.
Emergency relief
In crisis situations such as natural disasters or armed conflicts, we provide rapid and effective emergency aid.
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