Global Disasters/ Significant Events – October 12, 2014

MAJOR CATASTROPHES
EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC HAZARDS
VERY SEVERE CYCLONIC STORM
EXTREME RAIN EVENTS
DEADLY FLOODS
SCENARIOS  444, 111, 080, 078, 071, 066, 047, 027, 025, 024, 023, 022, 09, 05, 02
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Cyclone HUDHUD Batters India’s East Coast

Cyclone HUDHUD is hammering eastern Indian coast, causing widespread damage and prompting the evacuation of about 400,000 people.

The “Very Severe Cyclonic Storm,” packing winds of more than 200km/h, has killed at least14 people in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, uprooting thousands of trees, knocking down power lines and destroying or damaging thousands of hectares of crops.

The cyclone could severely affect more than 10 million people along its path.

In its latest bulletin issued at 17:00 IST, INDIA METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT (IMD)  said:

The Very Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘HUDHUD’ over westcentral Bay of Bengal moved west- northwestwards, crossed Andhra Pradesh coast over Visakhapatnam between 1200 and 1300 hrs ISTand lay centered at1430 hours IST of 12th October 2014 near latitude 17.8ºN and longitude 83.0ºE, about 30 km west-northwest of Visakhapatnam. It would move northwestwards and weaken gradually.

HUDHUD is forecast to dump up to 245mm of rain on some areas, said IMD, warning that storm surge of about 1 meter above astronomical tide would inundate low lying areas of Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam districts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh by 20:00 IST.