On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh, which is also as vulnerable, could limit casualties by building enough cyclone shelters along the coast. Within a fortnight, the official death toll was put at 7,619. Nearly 5,300 people died in Ersama district alone. It a large system of winds that rotates about a centre of low atmospheric pressure in a counterclockwise direction north of the Equator and in a clockwise direction to the south. These winds are usually not as strong as the cyclonic winds.
Cyclones occur chiefly in the mid-latitude belts of both hemispheres.
In the Southern Hemisphere, where most of the terrestrial surface is covered by the oceans, cyclones are distributed in a relatively uniform manner through various longitudes. Characteristically, they form in latitudes 30 to 40 S and move in a generally southeasterly direction, reaching maturity in latitudes around 60 . The situation is quite different in the Northern Hemisphere. Certain tracks are favoured by the wind systems. The principal cyclone tracks lie over the oceans, the ocean surface being smoother than that of the land and thus offering less resistance to the strong winds around low-pressure centres.