Category 5 Phailin likely a disaster for India,
catastrophic storm surge “a certainty”
By Jason Samenow,
Published: October 11 at 11:28
The lives and livelihoods of millions of people along India’s east coast are
in peril as monstrous cyclone Phailin makes its approach from the Bay of Bengal.
Phailin – a Thai word for ‘sapphire’ – has estimated maximum sustained winds of
around 160 mph, ranking among the most intense cyclones to threaten India on
record. (Cyclones have the same characteristics as hurricanes and typhoons – but
these same storms have different nomenclature in different parts of the
world.)
The ferocious storm, whose rain bands are already cycling inland, is about 24
hours from landfall. It is expected to come ashore late afternoon or early
evening local time on Saturday (or early morning EDT) in northeast India between
approximately Visakhapatnam and Puri.