Half million flee Cyclone Hudhud in India and Typhoon Vongfong in Japan
Mass evacuations as widespread damage is feared across countries in paths of Cyclone Hudhud and Typhoon Vongfong
PUBLISHED : Monday, 13 October, 2014, 4:00am
UPDATED : Monday, 13 October, 2014, 8:56am
Associated Press in Hyderabad
A villager braves the rain and wind in Gopalpur in India's Orissa state yesterday. Photo: AP
Heavy rain and wind gusts ripped through a large swathe of India's eastern seaboard, uprooting trees and snapping power cables as a powerful cyclone swept through the Bay of Bengal and slammed into the southern city of Visakhapatnam, one of two storms pounding Asia yesterday.
In Japan, at least 35 people were injured as Typhoon Vongfong, packing winds of up to 180km/h and heavy rain, hit the southern island of Okinawa and was aiming at the next island of Kyushu, where authorities told 150,000 people to evacuate.
Cyclone Hudhud, described as "very severe" by India's meteorological department, had winds of 195km/h when the edge of the storm hit land, said Rear Admiral S.K. Grewal, chief staff officer of India's Eastern Naval Command. The wind speed dipped to 160km/h, but was expected to pick up again, he said.
Wreckage was strewn across Visakhapatnam. Most people heeded warnings to take refuge, but five were killed by falling trees and masonry.
Visakhapatnam, which was bearing the brunt of the cyclone's fury, is one of the largest cities in southern India and a naval base. At least 400,000 people were evacuated from the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa states, and hundreds of shelters were set up to house them.
Experts said the storm was likely to cause widespread devastation along nearly 300km of India's coast. Television footage from Visakhapatnam showed downed electricity poles, uprooted trees and massive debris strewn in the streets.
Four districts in Andhra Pradesh state that are home to more than 14 million people - Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari - were likely to be worst hit, including about 350 coastal villages.
Waves crash on the coast in the town of Kuroshio in Kochi prefecture, Japan. Photo: Reuters
Grewal said 30 diving and 20 rescue teams were on standby. Hundreds of rescuers from India's National Disaster Response Force were also spread out across Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.
Electricity lines were disconnected in parts of Andhra Pradesh to avoid electrocutions.
The Indian Ocean is a cyclone hot spot. Of the 35 deadliest storms in recorded history, 27 have come through the Bay of Bengal. While India has a disastrous record of response to natural calamities, it managed last October to safely evacuate nearly a million people out of the path of Cyclone Phailin, the strongest tropical storm to hit India in more than a decade. Phailin destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of crops after it made landfall in Orissa, but claimed only about 25 lives.
Japan's Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Vongfong could reach the Tokyo area by tomorrow, gradually losing strength as it moves up the archipelago. Authorities issued landslide warnings and strong winds knocked out power lines, temporarily halting bullet train services for several hours on Kyushu."It is feared the typhoon will go near or make landfall on the Kyushu and Honshu main islands through Monday to Tuesday," meteorologist Hiroshi Sasaki said.
At least 23 people have been injured in the southernmost Okinawa prefecture, including a man in his 20s and a nine-year-old girl who each had a finger cut off by a door slamming due to ferocious winds.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
