Cyclone Laila batters India's southeastern coast
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At least 26 people are reported to have died and 70,000 evacuated over the last two days as a powerful cyclone causes havoc in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh
It is the worst storm to hit Andhra Pradesh in 14 years (in 1977, over 10,000 people were killed when a cyclone swept through the state). Cyclone Laila weakened on May 21, 2010, after battering India's southeastern coast with several days of torrential rain and high winds that claimed 26 lives. More than 70,000 people were evacuated as the storm closed in.
The cyclone was still hovering off the Andhra Pradesh coast on Friday, but its force has weakened to wind speeds of 75 km an hour compared to 125 km at its peak. It is reported to be moving east into neighbouring Orissa where officials say it could cause major damage.
The storm, which formed over the Bay of Bengal, drenched the southern state of Tamil Nadu before making landfall further north in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh where it uprooted trees and electricity poles and cut communication lines.
Andhra Pradesh Disaster Management Commissioner T Radha said 17 people were killed and over 70,000 evacuated ahead of the storm; they were housed in government shelters until Friday evening.
Television footage showed cars smashed by fallen trees, huts missing thatched roofs, people clearing debris left by the wind and the rains, flooded roads, and marooned villages. The heavy rain and strong winds damaged mango, banana and lime crops, with conservative estimates putting the loss at Rs 2 billion.
In Tamil Nadu, where the storm claimed nine lives, officials say life has begun to return to normal as floodwaters in low-lying areas recede. “We think it will weaken further and move in a northerly direction. But there will be more rains,” said V Prasad Rao, director of the cyclone warning centre in Visakhapatnam city.
Meanwhile, a weather office advisory has warned fishermen to stay ashore because of “rough” sea conditions and predicted rains in the state of Orissa. India and Bangladesh are hit regularly by cyclones that develop in the Bay of Bengal between April and November, causing widespread damage to homes and fields.
Last May, Cyclone Aila tore through southern Bangladesh killing 300 people and destroying 4,000 kilometres of roads and river embankments, leading to major flooding. Around 200,000 people were made homeless; many remain in temporary shelters to this day.
Weather forecasters blamed Cyclone Aila for last year's worst monsoon in 37 years which affected farm output and had a negative impact on economic growth. Cyclone Laila, however, is not expected to interfere with the onset of the country’s vital monsoon rains, expected to arrive on May 30 this year.
A senior weather official said the monsoon, which irrigates 60% of the country’s farms, was on track despite the cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. “We are monitoring constantly, and so far it appears that there will not be any impact on the monsoon. There will be time for a fresh monsoon surge to develop,” B P Yadav, a spokesperson at the IMD said in New Delhi.
Last year’s scanty rainfall lowered farm output, pushing up food inflation which currently stands at 16.49%. Spiralling food prices have led to street protests, putting pressure on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government to bolster supplies of essential food items.
Source: The Hindustan Times, May 21, 2010
AFP, May 21, 2010
http://news.bbc.co.uk, May 2010