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Post by Hera on Oct 11, 2013 9:32:31 GMT -7
(CNN) -- Preparations are under way Friday on India's east coast ahead of the expected landfall of a massive cyclone now gathering strength in the Bay of Bengal. Cyclone Phailin is expected to make landfall Saturday afternoon somewhere near the border of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh states. The cyclone, which is packing sustained winds of 155 mph (about 250 kph), with gusts of up to 190 mph, could hit densely populated areas that are vulnerable to flooding. Some fear a repeat of what happened on October 29, 1999, when Cyclone 05B, also known as the Odisha Cyclone, made landfall in the same area, causing the loss of more than 10,000 lives. The strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal, it packed winds of 155 mph at landfall and caused more than $2 billion in damage. Phailin may be less intense than that at landfall and is likely to weaken as it moves on shore, but will still bring storm surges and dump heavy rainfall on inland areas in its path. ---- For the rest of the story: www.cnn.com/2013/10/11/world/asia/india-cyclone-phailin/
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