Monster cyclone slams India
Over a million people flee as Fani rips into east coast
PURI (India): Cyclone Fani, one of the biggest storms to come off the Indian Ocean in recent years, slammed into India, tearing down trees, blowing away food stands and cutting off power and water.
The monster weather system, which threatened to bring a storm surge that could flood low-lying areas, was packing winds of up to 180kph as it ripped into the country’s east coast yesterday.
Forecasters say the areas could see gusts of up to 200kph, equivalent in strength to a Category Three to Four hurricane.
In recent days, authorities in Odisha have evacuated over one million people as they braced for a possible 1.5m storm surge.
Hundreds of thousands more people in West Bengal state were also given orders to flee, with special teams moving through holiday villages urging tourists to get to safety.
India’s National Disaster Response Force shared images of several uprooted trees along the coast in Andhra Pradesh state to the south.
The NDRF teams were trying to remove the fallen trees and branches so that they did not become projectiles if the winds intensified.
Fani was expected to barrel northeastwards into West Bengal state and towards Bangladesh, on a trajectory that will take it over the homes of 100 million people.
Meteorologists have warned of the “total destruction” of thatched houses, the uprooting of power and communication poles, the “flooding of escape routes” and damage to crops in some areas.
Some 3,000 shelters in schools and government buildings have been set up to accommodate more than a million people in Odisha.
More than 200 trains have been cancelled along coastal routes, according to Indian Railways.
Three special trains were running, however, from Puri to evacuate pilgrims and tourists.
Flights have been cancelled in and out of Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar and Kolkata in West Bengal until at least today.
Ports have been closed but the Indian Navy has sent six warships to the region, while India’s biggest oil and gas producer ONGC evacuated almost 500 workers from offshore rigs. — AFP