The last report I read noted 13 people dead from the cyclone. The Indian Army and Govt should be commended for a good job in evacuating coastal areas before this huge storm hit the coast. Heavy rains are still continuing in some places as Phailin winds down. It is sad to see any casualties in storms like this but again good news that thousands were evacuated thus sparing much more loss of life. More will be added about residual effects of Phailin as I find it. Let us hope to see such a mobilization by all governments to prepare for the global effects of climate change we are already experiencing and those to come.
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UPDATE: Phailin On Course To Devastate
What is of main concern now are floods and government response.
UPDATE on Cyclone Phailin
Time of issue: 2130 hours IST . Dated: 12-10-2013
(Red Message)
Bulletin No.: BOB 04/2013/34
Sub: Very Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘PHAILIN’ over northwest adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal is crossing coast close to Gopalpur (Odisha)
The very severe cyclonic storm, PHAILIN over westcentral & adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards during past 3 hours with a speed of 15 kmph and lay centred at 2030 hrs IST of today, the 12 th October 2013 over northwest adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal near latitude 19.1 0 N and longitude 85.0 0 E, close to Gopalpur. Latest observations indicate that landfall process has started and it will be completed within next one hour. At the time of landfall, maximum sustained wind speed would be 200-210 kmph.
snip
Warning for Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal
(i) Rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at a few places and isolated extremely heavy falls (≥ 25 cm) would occur over Odisha and north coastal Andhra Pradesh during next 48 hrs. Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur over coastal areas of West Bengal during next 48 hrs..
End of excerpt
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From 2 hrs ago. People here as well are also refusing to leave.
PLEASE if asked to leave do so. Your home can be replaced, you or your children cannot.
My prayers to the people of India. More coming on this huge cyclone.
With Mass Evacuations, India Braces as Powerful Cyclone Heads for Coast
NEW DELHI — A cyclone that may be among the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal bore down on the eastern coast of India on Saturday with heavy rains and high winds.
Biswaranjan Rout/Associated Press
Indian authorities described the storm, named Phailin, as “very severe” with sustained winds of 136 miles per hour and gusts reaching nearly 150 m.p.h.
Some 440,000 people have already been evacuated from the path of the storm, M. Shashidhar Reddy, vice chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, said at a news conference in New Delhi on Saturday afternoon.
The Indian predictions before the storm made landfall were less alarming than those from meteorological authorities in the United States. Late Friday, the United States Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said that the storm had sustained winds of 161 m.p.h., with gusts reaching 196 m.p.h. — making it similar to a Category 5 hurricane, the most severe. American meteorological authorities have appeared on Indian TV channels and have almost universally sounded more concerned about the coming storm than their Indian counterparts.
“If it’s not a record, it’s really, really close,” a University of Miami hurricane researcher, Brian McNoldy, told The Associated Press. “You really don’t get storms stronger than this anywhere in the world ever. This is the top of the barrel.”
End of excerpt.
Category 5 Phailin hits India, Category 3 Nari Hits Philippines
Hurricane season in the Atlantic may not have been as predicted ( and not over yet) but that doesn't mean we aren't seeing stronger storms globally, which is a fingerprint of global warming. The key word here for those resigned to denying reality is "global." Also note this area has already been victim to rising sea surface temperature, sea level rise, erratic monsoons and severe drought.
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