(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Rain and wind lashed India's east coast and nearly 400,000 people were evacuated to storm shelters after authorities issued a red alert and warned of major damage when one of the largest cyclones the country has ever seen hits land later on Saturday. Filling most of the Bay of Bengal, Cyclone Phailin was about 300 km (187 miles) offshore on Saturday morning, satellite images showed, and was expected to reach land by nightfall. The storm verged on becoming a "super cyclone" and was expected to affect 12 million people, officials said.
Phailin was packing winds of at least 220 kph (137 mph) and was expected to cause a 3.4-m (11-foot) surge in sea levels when it hit the coast, the India Meteorological Department said in a statement. However, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii is forecasting even stronger winds, predicting sustained speeds of up to 269 km/h (167 mph). Some forecasters likened its size and intensity to hurricane Katrina, which tore through the U.S. Gulf coast and New Orleans in 2005. It also evoked memories of an Indian storm in 1999, when winds reaching speeds of 300 kph battered Odisha for 30 hours, killing more than 10,000 people. This time, however, the Odisha government said it was better prepared.
Half a million people are expected to shelter in schools and other strong buildings when the storm hits, officials said. At least 60,000 people left their homes in neighboring Andhra Pradesh on Friday. Authorities warned of extensive damage to crops, village dwellings and old buildings, as well as disruption of power, water and rail services. Shelters were being stocked with rations, and leave for government employees was cancelled.
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