22 people have been killed after cyclone Phailian struck Orissa and Andhra Pradesh on the eastern coast of India on Saturday 12th October. The cyclone made landfall with winds of 200 km per hour (125mph), defining it as a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
Nearly a million people were evacuated by authorities before Phailian made landfall, saving thousands of lives for what could have been a major disaster. The evacuation is known to be the biggest of its scale in Indian history.
Some residents have started returning to their homes on Monday to assess the damage left by the cyclone. Power and communication lines have been damaged, roads and rail links have been left inaccessible and an estimated 5000 sq km of crops have been destroyed causing damage of £220 million.
Half a million people have also been made homeless after the cyclone destroyed their homes and inundated the villages with flood water. Reports claim a storm surge of over 3 metres high flooded coastal districts.
Relief efforts and an assessment of the full scale of damage are currently underway.
Better preparedness and awareness after the deadly cyclone which killed nearly 10,000 people in 1999 saved thousands of lives this time round.
No comments:
Post a Comment