The intersecting impacts of COVID-19 and climate change are compounding the vulnerabilities of coastal communities. This paper examines the disastrous effects of cyclone Amphan in the Bengal delta region of the Indian Sundarbans amidst a countrywide lockdown triggered by the pandemic, and their cascading consequences for a rural community inhabiting this climate hotspot. It highlights the livelihood crisis experienced by internal rural-urban migrant workers who returned to their villages in the Sundarbans from other Indian states under challenging conditions. Triangulating data from interviews with return migrants, literature, and policy documents, the paper argues for a move beyond the traditional short-term, relief-based responses. It proposes integrating a rural community’s long-term economic recovery and self-reliance as a pillar of policy dialogues on climate change and mobility at national and regional scales.