More than 200,000 people in India are being
evacuated as a massive cyclone is sweeping
through the Bay of Bengal towards the east coast.
Cyclone Phailin, categorised as "very severe" by
weather forecasters, is expected to hit Orissa and
Andhra Pradesh states on Saturday evening.
The Meteorological Department has predicted the
storm will bring winds up to 220 km/h (136mph).
A deadly super-cyclone in 1999 killed more than
10,000 people in Orissa.
But officials say this time they are better prepared, the
BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi reports.
However, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center
in Hawaii is forecasting even stronger winds, predicting
sustained speeds of up to 269 km/h (167 mph).
'Fighting nature'
Officials said Cyclone Phailin is expected to make
landfall close to the city of Gopalpur (Orissa state),
bringing a storm surge of at least 3m (10ft) that was
likely to cause "extensive damage" to mud houses on
the coast.
"No-one will be allowed to stay in mud and thatched
houses in the coastal areas,'' said Orissa's Disaster
Management Minister Surya Narayan Patra.
The army is on standby in the two states for
emergency and relief operations. Officials said
helicopters and food packages were ready to be
dropped in the storm-affected areas.
Meanwhile, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning
Centre predicted that winds could reach 315 km/h,
while the London-based Tropical Storm Risk classified
Phailin as a Category Five storm - the most powerful.
The Times of India newspaper warned that local
meteorologists may be underestimating the severity of
the storm.
Meteorologists also say that the storm is not only
intense but covers a wide area.
Fishermen have been asked not to venture out to sea in
Orissa and Andhra Pradesh
Fishermen have been asked not to venture out to sea.
Rain and winds are already being felt in Orissa, where
authorities said they were setting up shelters for people
who would need to be evacuated.
"We are fighting against nature. We are better prepared
this time, we learnt a lot from 1999," said Surya
Narayan Patra.
Reports said that there had been panic buying in the
state capital, Bhubaneswar, with shelves being emptied
of food.
"I'm feeling scared and tense. My son is expected to
arrive Sunday. Now I think he won't make it,"
housewife Manjushree Das told the Agence France-
Presse news agency.
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 2011, Cyclone Thane hit the southern
state of Tamil Nadu, killing dozens of people.
evacuated as a massive cyclone is sweeping
through the Bay of Bengal towards the east coast.
Cyclone Phailin, categorised as "very severe" by
weather forecasters, is expected to hit Orissa and
Andhra Pradesh states on Saturday evening.
The Meteorological Department has predicted the
storm will bring winds up to 220 km/h (136mph).
A deadly super-cyclone in 1999 killed more than
10,000 people in Orissa.
But officials say this time they are better prepared, the
BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi reports.
However, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center
in Hawaii is forecasting even stronger winds, predicting
sustained speeds of up to 269 km/h (167 mph).
'Fighting nature'
Officials said Cyclone Phailin is expected to make
landfall close to the city of Gopalpur (Orissa state),
bringing a storm surge of at least 3m (10ft) that was
likely to cause "extensive damage" to mud houses on
the coast.
"No-one will be allowed to stay in mud and thatched
houses in the coastal areas,'' said Orissa's Disaster
Management Minister Surya Narayan Patra.
The army is on standby in the two states for
emergency and relief operations. Officials said
helicopters and food packages were ready to be
dropped in the storm-affected areas.
Meanwhile, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning
Centre predicted that winds could reach 315 km/h,
while the London-based Tropical Storm Risk classified
Phailin as a Category Five storm - the most powerful.
The Times of India newspaper warned that local
meteorologists may be underestimating the severity of
the storm.
Meteorologists also say that the storm is not only
intense but covers a wide area.
Fishermen have been asked not to venture out to sea in
Orissa and Andhra Pradesh
Fishermen have been asked not to venture out to sea.
Rain and winds are already being felt in Orissa, where
authorities said they were setting up shelters for people
who would need to be evacuated.
"We are fighting against nature. We are better prepared
this time, we learnt a lot from 1999," said Surya
Narayan Patra.
Reports said that there had been panic buying in the
state capital, Bhubaneswar, with shelves being emptied
of food.
"I'm feeling scared and tense. My son is expected to
arrive Sunday. Now I think he won't make it,"
housewife Manjushree Das told the Agence France-
Presse news agency.
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 2011, Cyclone Thane hit the southern
state of Tamil Nadu, killing dozens of people.
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