Cyclone Phailin, the strongest tropical storm to hit India in more than a decade, destroys crops worth millions with fatalities remaining low.
India's meteorology department issued a "red" alert on Saturday, Oct 12th due to a massive cyclone that raged in on the east coast, forcing an evacuation of 600,000 people.
In its warning, the weather office stated that the "very severe cyclonic storm Phailin" was moving towards the coast, packing gusts as high as 240 kilometres per hour (150 miles per hour). Authorities had predicted a storm of at least 3m (10ft) that was expected to cause extensive damage.
Cyclone Phailin which has been classed as severe, remained in that that category for six hours before losing strength according to the head of India's Meteorological Office, LS Rathore.
Due to a planned mass evacuation, thousands of Indians were saved from the county's fiercest cyclone in 14 years. Aid workers however have suggested a million would be needing help after their homes and livelihoods were destroyed.
"There are no farms left. Everything has disappeared into the water," said S. Dillirao, a paddy farmer as he stood on his land.
Lashed: Waves crash onto the shore at a fishing harbour in Visakhapatnam district in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh/Reuters
Cyclone Phailin was expected to ease within 36 hours after it lost momentum on Sunday. Phailin headed inland after making landfall from the Bay of Bengal, bringing winds of more than 200 kph (125 mph) that ripped apart tens of thousands of thatched huts, mangled power lines and tore down trees.
Authorities in Odisha said the death toll stood at 17 people, killed as the storm slammed in from the ocean. Majority of the death toll numbers were caused by falling trees, one female crushed when the walls of her mud hut fell in.
Although a tragedy, the low number of casualties stands in contrast to the 10,000 killed by Odisha's last big cyclone in 1999.
Since the warning, hundreds of shelters have been built in anticipation of the storm and mass evacuations.
Almost a million people in Odisha (formerly Orissa) and adjacent Andhra Pradesh spent the night in shelters after battling though surging rivers to higher ground. Others have sought safety in nearby schools or temples.
"The loss of life has been contained this time with early information and speedy action of government," said Sandeep Chachra, executive director of ActionAid India.
Phailin has left a trail of destruction along the coast, overturning vehicles from cars to large trucks. Surges from the sea have also submerged farmland near the coast while heavy rain have flooded towns inland.
Authorities cancelled the holidays of civil servants during the popular Dussehra festival, deploying disaster response teams with heavy equipment as well as helicopters and boats for rescue and relief operations.
A map locating the cyclone's projected path/ US NAVY/http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
Over the years, organisations like the Red Cross have mobilised thousands of volunteers across the cyclone-prone region, who are not only trained in basic first aid but also help with evacuations and relief distribution.
"The 1999 cyclone was a real wake-up call for India. It was at a time when economic growth was high and India was seen as developing rapidly. It was embarrassing to be seen to be not taking care of their people, even with all this development," said Unni Krishnan, head of disaster response for children's charity Plan International.
The death of at least 89 worshippers onSunday at a temple celebrating Dussehra in central India was a harsh reminder of natural disasters remaining common. In July floods and landslides also killed close to 6,000 people in India's Himalayan foothills.
An Indian child searches for belongings amid the remains of her damaged house after returning to the cyclone hit village of Podampeta on the Bay of Bengal coast in Ganjam district, Orissa state, India/AP
The Indian Red Cross said its initial assessments showed that over 235,000 mud-and-thatch homes owned by poor fishing and farming communities had been destroyed in Ganjam district alone. It anticipates thousands of people will need help in coming days.
Plan International has stated it's concern over the health and sanitation needs of close to a million people and the impact of the storm on people's livelihoods.
"They cannot stay in the shelters for long as they are overcrowded and sanitation issues will crop up with the spread of diseases such as diarrhoea and dysentery, especially amongst young children," Mangla Mohanty, head of the Indian Red Cross in Odisha.
Service members from the country’s army, air force and navy have all been deployed to help in rescue and relief operations, according to A.K. Antony, India’s defence minister.
The cyclone has currently moved inward and warnings are issued in Bihar.
Feature Image:AFP/Getty Image
Source: yahoonews.com, reuters.com, dailymail.co.uk, ndtv.com, cbc.ca
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