India has issued a red alert as Cyclone Phailin, the strongest cyclone in a decade, heads toward its east coast.\n<\/p>\n
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).\n<\/p>\n
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.\n<\/p>\n
“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.\n<\/p>\n
Reports say, over 200,000 people in India are being evacuated as the cyclone roars through the Bay of Bengal towards the east coast.\n<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Phailin, which means œsapphire” in Thai, has been categorized as a “super cyclone” by London-based Tropical Storm Risk.\n<\/p>\n
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 .\n<\/p>\n
In 1999, a storm hit the same coastal area and killed more than 8,000 people.\n<\/p>\n
The cyclones that form frequently over the Bay of Bengal bring widespread destruction and flooding to India’s southern and eastern coasts.\n<\/p>\n
IA\/HN<\/p>\n