Cyclones, Tsunamis, and Human Health

Besides the many benefi ts of the ocean, human and other populations living in coastal regions share in the risk for meteorological and seismic hazards that originate from the seas. Tropical cyclones (also known as typhoons and hurricanes) and tsunamis represent the most powerful and destructive of all marine hazards. Tropical cyclones have caused an estimated 1.9 million deaths worldwide during the past two centuries (Nicholls et al., 1995). During 1980–2000, an average of 11,800 deaths per year were attributed to cyclones (United Nations Development Programme, 2004). The three deadliest cyclones produced catastrophic loss of life: 300,000 deaths and 138,000 deaths in the Bangladesh cyclones of 1970 and 1991, respectively, and 100,000 deaths in the Chinese typhoon of 1922. Sixteen of the 18 deadliest tropical cyclones occurred in the Asia-Pacifi c region.