India has issued a red alert as Cyclone Phailin, the strongest cyclone in a decade, heads toward its east coast.
On Saturday, the Indian Meteorological Department issued a so-called “red message,” warning over the cyclone, saying the storm will have winds up to 220 km/h (136mph).
Indian officials said the storm is expected to make landfall near the city of Gopalpur (Orissa state), causing “extensive damage” to the buildings in the area.
“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.
Reports say, over 200,000 people in India are being evacuated as the cyclone roars through the Bay of Bengal towards the east coast.
œThe storm has the potential to cause huge damage,” said L.S. Rathore, director-general of the India Meteorological Department, adding, œWe don™t contemplate it will further intensify. It will remain as a very severe cyclonic storm.”
Phailin, which means œsapphire” in Thai, has been categorized as a “super cyclone” by London-based Tropical Storm Risk.
The Army and the Indian Red Cross Society have put their teams on standby in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh states, as well as the Andaman and Nicobar islands .
In 1999, a storm hit the same coastal area and killed more than 8,000 people.
The cyclones that form frequently over the Bay of Bengal bring widespread destruction and flooding to India’s southern and eastern coasts.
IA/HN
Copyright: Press TV