1.

110 Dead as Cyclone Slams Eastern India,

Bangladesh

A cyclone has hit eastern India and Bangladesh on April 14th 2010,
killing at least 110 people and destroying more than 60,000 homes.
The storm ripped across India's West Bengal and Bihar states and
neighboring parts of Bangladesh late Tuesday.
Four of the deaths were reported in Bangladesh, including a police
officer who was crushed under a wall.
The cyclone packed winds of up to 120 kilometers an hour, destroying
power and telephone lines and uprooting trees in Bihar and West
Bengal.

Indian authorities are rushing aid to cyclone-hit areas, and the homeless
are being shifted to temporary shelters.

The Bay of Bengal region is frequently battered by storms and cyclones.

In 2007, Cyclone Sidr killed more than 3,500 people in Bangladesh and
displaced 2 million others.
 2. Cyclone batters India's southeast coast on May 19,
2010

HYDERABAD, India — A severe cyclone packing winds of 110

kilometres an hour closed in on India's southeast coast Thursday as tens
of thousands of people evacuated their homes fearing major storm
damage.

Cyclone Laila was expected to hit the state of Andhra Pradesh later in
the day, with forecasters warning of a sea surge and disrupted power and
communication lines.

As heavy rain and strong gales battered the coast, state authorities said at
least 30,000 people had been evacuated from low-lying areas.

The armed forces were drafted in to help the evacuation efforts after
Andhra Pradesh's chief minister, K. Rosaiah, called Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh to request extra assistance.

"We have had no power supply since yesterday," Ramulu, a middle-aged

resident of Balajinagar town, told the TV5 local news channel.

"The municipal authorities are just not bothered about people's plight,"
he said. "We have formed our own teams to clear the roads of fallen
trees and electric poles."

The Indian Meteorological Department graded the cyclone as "severe",

and said it was due to hit land near the city of Machilipatnam after
moving from its current position 100 kilometers (62 miles) off the coast
in the Bay of Bengal.

The department's latest warning said a "storm surge" of up to two metres

above the regular tide was likely to inundate parts of Andhra Pradesh.
It said large trees were likely to be uprooted, houses damaged and
escape routes from the coast flooded.

All fishermen were ordered to stay on shore due to "very rough" sea
conditions, and the Press Trust of India news agency said Reliance
Industries had suspended crude oil and gas production in the Bay as a
precaution.

The agency said 40,000 people had been evacuated from hundreds of
coastal villages, while some air flights and train services were also
affected.

State disaster officials said that besides existing cyclone shelters, schools
and community halls were serving as relief camps to evacuees.

Three people were killed when a shed collapsed during heavy winds in
Andhra Pradesh, while a fisherman drowned in rough sea in
neighbouring Tamil Nadu state. Local reports put the total death toll at
between 14 and 17.

The cyclone, which weakened slightly overnight, is forecast to move up

the coast through Orissa and West Bengal states after making land.

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 destroyed 4,000 kilometres of roads and river embankments,
leading to major flooding.

About 200,000 people were made homeless and many remain in

temporary shelters.