Cyclone Phailin kills 14, leaves trail of destruction in India
By Neha Sharma. Harmeet Shah Singh and Faith Karimi, CNN
updated 11:35 AM EDT, Sun October 13, 2013
A displaced family waits at the
village of Sonupur, India, on Sunday, October 13. Debris littered the
streets and gaping holes were left in buildings after Tropical Cyclone
Phailin pounded the eastern coast of India. Massive evacuation efforts
helped limit the number of casualties. wel
Cyclone Phailin slams India's coast
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: At least 14 people were killed, authorities say
- Massive evacuation efforts helped limit the number of casualties
- "Our first priority is to clear the roads," official says
- To avoid electrocution, authorities cut the electricity in affected districts
New Delhi, India (CNN) -- Hours after it snapped
power lines, overturned cars and ripped away bamboo homes, the most
powerful cyclone to hit India in years weakened Sunday, but not before
it left at least
14 dead.
Morning light revealed damage from
Tropical Cyclone Phailin after it pounded the eastern coast, the strongest storm in India in 14 years.
Debris littered wet streets. Buildings had gaping holes where roofs and windows had been.
In Odisha state, where
the cyclone landed, at least 13 people were killed after trees fell and
walls collapsed when the storm hit, Police Chief Prakash Mishra said. Another death was confirmed in Andhra Pradesh state, India's disaster management authority said.
Many had feared the death
toll would be higher. Massive evacuation efforts helped limit the
number of casualties, officials said.
"It is a huge, huge
relief," Naveen Patnaik, Odisha's chief minister, told CNN sister
network CNN-IBN. "Damage has been minimal."
But in the hardest hit areas, the storm's impact was clear, with flooded highways, fallen trees and downed power lines.
India surveys damage from Cyclone Phailin
Cyclone slams India's east coast
See Cyclone Phailin make landfall
Powerful cyclone makes landfall in India
As a precautionary
measure, authorities cut the electricity in the affected districts. It
could take up to a week to restore power, authorities said.
Like a fierce hurricane
Hurricanes are known as cyclones in the Indian Ocean.
At 140 mph wind speed,
Phailin made landfall as the equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane. The
strongest hurricane is a Category 5, which comes with winds greater than
155 mph.
By Sunday, some 13 hours later, it was the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane with winds of about 80 mph.
'Zero-casualty approach'
India evacuated nearly a
million people before the storm to avoid a repeat of what happened in
1999, when a cyclone killed 10,000 people.
"We have taken a
zero-casualty approach," said Kamal Lochan Mishra, Odisha state's
disaster manager. "If people do not move, force will be used to evacuate
them."
Phailin has brought
nearly 8 inches of rain to Odisha's capital of Bhubaneswar, about 30
miles from the coast. The city's average rainfall for October is 6.5
inches.
The storm will continue
to fall apart as it moves over land, but tropical storm-force winds are
still possible through early Monday, said CNN meteorologist Judson
Jones. Rainfall will also be a problem as Phailin moves up toward the
Himalayas in Nepal.
Multiple states in the region were under weather warnings for excessive rainfall and thunderstorms.
Hundreds of emergency shelters
About 900,000 were
evacuated in Odisha alone. Most people in low-lying coastal areas of the
state left on foot or by bicycle, Kamal Lochan Mishra said.
Relocating evacuees is a
major challenge because of property damage and losses caused by the
storm, said Naveen Patnaik, chief minister for Odisha state.
Most are housed in nearly 250 emergency shelters set up in sturdy buildings like schools and government offices.
The India Meteorological
Department warned of extensive damage to houses made of flimsy
materials like mud and bamboo, as well as damage to old buildings.
The storm disrupted
power and communication lines. Extensive flooding also affected rail and
road traffic, and crops are likely to suffer major damage, the agency
said.
In Gopalpur, a coastal
resort town in Ganjam, restaurants were shuttered and streets deserted.
Tourists and local residents left the town.
Military deployed
In October 1999, Cyclone
05B, also known as the Odisha Cyclone, made landfall in the same area,
killing 10,000 people. It was the strongest tropical cyclone recorded in
the Bay of Bengal, with winds of 155 mph at landfall. It caused more
than $2 billion in damage.
In advance of Phailin,
military units and National Disaster Response Force personnel were
deployed to coastal areas with relief supplies and medical aid, CNN-IBN
said.
All flights to Odisha have been canceled and train services in the state are also disrupted, CNN's sister network reported.
Disaster preparedness
International
humanitarian organization World Vision said it was helping local
community groups prepare for the cyclone's arrival.
"In a storm of this
magnitude there is the potential for widespread damage to crops and
livestock in the low-lying coastal areas and houses completely wiped
away," said Kunal Shah, the head of World Vision's emergency response in
India. "So while we are praying this storm loses intensity, we're also
preparing."
The organization has
worked for years to train local people in disaster preparedness,
including search and rescue, basic first aid and how to protect
livestock. It has thousands of emergency response kits ready to hand out
where needed.
CNN's Neha Sharma and Harmeet Shah Singh
reported from New Delhi, and Faith Karimi wrote and reported from
Atlanta. CNN's Mallika Kapur, Pedram Javaheri and Radina Gigova
contributed to this report.
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