The Bay of Bengal (BoB) forms the north-eastern part of the Indian Ocean. Resembling a triangle in shape, the Bay is bordered by Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It is also the largest bay in the world by area. The BoB is also periodically in the news for the destructive cyclones1 storms that occur from time to time. Of the 30 deadliest cyclones in world history from 1584 to 2008, as many as 22 have occurred here. Three recent cyclones, Sidr (2007), Nargis (2008) and Aila (2009), have caused great loss of life and property in Bangladesh, Myanmar and India respectively. With the increase in sea surface temperatures due to global warming, there is likely to be an increase in the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones. In such situations, community preparedness will be of immense help. Paper published in ‘Risk Returns’, Tudor Rose Publication, 2011.