Since 1970 over 1.5 million people have died as a result of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal region alone. An FAO Technical Cooperation Project in India designed to improve certain aspects of disaster mitigation was completed at the end of 1999. The experiences gained from this project were discussed at this workshop together with experiences of relevant professionals from India and other countries in the region actively working on cyclone disaster preparedness and management. The participants represented National and State Governments, National and State fisheries administrations, National and State meteorological organizations, fishers' associations, Indian Coastguard, Mercantile Marine Department, gender specialists and NGOs. Four sets of recommendations were made by four working groups covering these areas.