Storm Surges: Worst Coastal Marine Hazard

Storm surges associated with severe tropical cyclones constitute the world’s worst coastal marine hazard. Storm surge disasters cause heavy loss of life and property, damage to the coastal structures and the losses of agriculture which lead to annual economic losses in affected countries. Death and destruction arise directly from the intense winds characteristic of tropical cyclones blowing over a large surface of water, which is bounded by a shallow basin. As a result of these winds the massive piling of the sea water occurs at the coast leading to the sudden inundation and flooding of coastal regions.