Cyclone Phailan Causes Mass Evacuation in Eastern India

Tropical Cyclone Phailan, the strongest storm to hit India in the last 14 years, made landfall in Odisha state on Saturday the 12^th of October. The storm pulverized the eastern coast, causing littered wet streets and huge holes in buildings. At least 13 people were killed from trees and buildings that collapsed when the storm hit, according to the Chief of Police, Prakash Mishra. The India Disaster Management Authority also confirmed an additional fatality in Andhra Pradesh state. The death toll had been feared to be much larger, but mass evacuations of the affected area prior to the storms arrival, considerably limited the number of deaths, according to officials. Naveen Patnaik, Odisha’s chief minister, commented on the favorable lack of fatalities, stating “It is a huge, huge relief.” One of the downfalls of the precautionary measures instigated before the storm was authorities cutting the electrical systems in the affected districts, which could take several days to restore according to authorities. According to meteorologists, Phailan made landfall as a category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds. By Sunday it ad depreciated to a level 1 hurricane with winds of about 80 mph. India evacuated nearly a million people before the storm hit, almost 900,000 in Odisha alone. Most of the evacuees were housed in 250 emergency shelters set up in sturdy buildings and government offices. The storm disrupted power and communication as well as affecting rail and roads from flooding. Additionally, crops are expected to suffer from the storms trail of destruction. Before Phailan made landfall, military units and National Disaster Response Force personnel were deployed to provide relief supplies and medical services, according to CNN-IBN.