Monday, October 13, 2014

Cyclone wreaks havoc on east India coast, kills at least eight

Reuters via the Thomson Reuters Foundation: Cyclone Hudhud powered its way inland over eastern India on Monday, leaving a swathe of destruction but the loss of life appeared limited after tens of thousands of people sought safety in storm shelters, aid workers and officials said.

Packing wind speeds of up to 195 kph (over 120 mph), Hudhud hammered the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha states on Sunday, killing at least eight people and causing widespread devastation.

In the port city of Visakhapatnam, which is home to two million people, wreckage was strewn everywhere. The storm uprooted trees, tore sign boards off buildings, snapped telecom and power lines and ripped roofs and walls from scores of homes.

"I saw the wind blow huge sign boards and water tanks and make them swirl and fly through the air before they came crashing down," said Narayana, cleaning up debris in front of his house, the roof and front wall of which had been torn off. "It is the first time I have seen such a horrific situation in Visakhapatnam."...

The effect of Cyclone Hudhud at RK Beach road, Visakhapatnam, shot by dityamadhav83, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share International 4.0 license

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