Cyclone Fani Batters Parts of India and Bangladesh
While hurricane season has not yet begun in either the Atlantic Ocean or the Eastern or Central Pacific Ocean, cyclone season is underway in the Indian Ocean. Last weekend, Cyclone Fani made landfall in the Indian province of Odisha with winds of 127 mph, equivalent to a category 3 hurricane. Cyclones are rare Odisha, as Fani was the first one to strike the region in 43 years and just the third in the last 150 years.
Widespread destruction occurred across the province as well as in the neighboring country of Bangladesh. Tragically, 34 people were killed in India and 15 in Bangladesh as a result of the cyclone. However, the death total would have been far greater had it not been for the successful evacuation of over one million people from Odisha and over 1.6 million people from coastal Bangladesh.
Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Fortunately for the battered region, no additional tropical systems will threaten the region in the foreseeable future. But the recovery efforts will be hampered by dangerous heat. Parts of the region will see high temperatures in excess of 110 degrees Fahrenheit each day this week.
