Cyclone Phailin has made landfall on India’s coast Saturday, where more than 400,000 people have reportedly evacuated their homes.
Meteorologist Eric Holthaus says the cyclone touched ground near Kapaskuddi, Andhra Pradesh. He sites satellite data from the National Weather Service. Sky News reports the Odisha region has been hit, about 180 miles from Kapaskuddi. Indian media are reporting that three people have died in Odisha.
Kapaskuddi, Andhra Pradesh, India (Google Maps)
The storm covers an area about the size of France, extending from the east coast of India to the west coast of Burma (also known as Myanmar).
Officials canceled holy day celebrations and stockpiled emergency supplies in coastal Orissa and Andhra Pradesh states in preparation for the storm, which is hailed as the worst Indian cyclone since 1999.
RELATED: Cyclone Phailin Nears Indian Coast: 440,000 Flee Homes
“If it’s not a record it’s really, really close,” 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.”
Extensive crop damage and power outages, among other impacts, are expected.
Gautam Ramdurai, whose parents are living in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, tweeted that the Indian government is handling the crisis well: “Western media harping on about ‘millions fleeing’ #Phailin. It is in fact a very well coordinated evacuation led by the Indian govt.”
He said his mother described the sound of the the wind: “like cold starting an old Jeep engine.”
Cyclone Phailin Crisis Map
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
