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Cyclone Phailin: India's Orissa And Andhra Pradesh Prepare For Storm
BBC NEWS, INDIA
October 11, 2013: India is preparing for a massive cyclone, which is sweeping through the Bay of Bengal towards the country's east coast. Cyclone Phailin, categorized as "very severe" by weather forecasters, is expected to hit Orissa and Andhra Pradesh states on Saturday. The Meteorological Department has predicted winds of 205-215km (127-134 miles) at the time of landfall. A deadly super-cyclone in 1999 killed nearly 15,000 people in Orissa.
The army is on standby in the two states for emergency and relief operations, reports say. Officials said helicopters and food packages were ready to be dropped in the storm-affected areas. Fishermen have been asked not to venture out to sea and reports said it was raining heavily in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
Authorities in Orissa said they were setting up shelters for people who would need to be evacuated in the coming days. "We are fighting against nature. We are better prepared this time, we learnt a lot from 1999," Orissa's Disaster Management Minister Surya Narayan Patra told the NDTV news channel.
India's eastern coast and Bangladesh are routinely hit by cyclonic storms between April and November, which cause deaths and widespread damage to property. In December 2001, cyclone Thane hit the southern state of Tamil Nadu, killing dozens of people.
