http://www.boston.com/dailynews/144/world/Severe_cyclone_heading_for_ear:.shtml

Severe cyclone heading for earthquake-hit western India

By Harish Desai, Associated Press, 5/24/2001 02:52

AHMADABAD, India (AP) Still suffering from the effects of a massive earthquake, western India on Thursday alerted the armed forces to prepare for a severe cyclone building up in the Arabian Sea.

Authorities in Gujarat state began evacuating nearly 15,000 salt mine workers along the western coast as the cyclone with a speed of 85-100 mph was expected to hit the shore on Friday, said Girish Murmu, state relief commissioner.

Alerts have been posted at more than 20 ports in the state, including India's biggest, Kandla Port, which was ordered to evacuate.

''People living in the coastal areas have been told to stay in their homes, stock up on food and avoid dilapidated structures,'' Murmu said.

The severe cyclone was over the Arabian Sea 350 miles south of Veeraval and likely to intensify further and move in a northerly direction, the Ahmadabad Weather Bureau said. Veerawal is 600 miles northwest of Bombay.

Strong winds and rain were expected to hit coastal areas later Thursday.

South Asia is prone to natural disasters such as cyclones. A cyclone in eastern Orissa state in October 1999 killed more than 10,000 people and damaged nearly 1.6 million homes. Severe cyclones also hit Gujarat state in 1998 and 1999.

The fears this year were compounded a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Jan. 26 that killed at least 20,000 people and damaged nearly 1 million homes in Gujarat. Thousands of quake-hit people living in temporary shelters, such as tents and tin sheds, which hardly provide protection against strong winds.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001

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http://www.boston.com/dailynews/148/world/Thousands_evacuated_as_cyclo ne:.shtml

Thousands evacuated as cyclone nears Indian coast

By Harish Desai, Associated Press, 5/28/2001 19:09

AHMADABAD, India (AP) Thousands of people were evacuated Monday as a cyclone headed toward Pakistan and western India, officials said.

The storm is expected to hit land on Tuesday near the Indian town of Dwarka in Gujarat state, about 235 miles southwest of the state capital of Ahmadabad.

The storm had lost some power and was expected to cause less damage than earlier feared, said R. K. Kankane, director of the meteorological department in Ahmadabad.

However, meteorologists warned that winds could still reach 50 mph, powerful enough to demolish mud houses and topple small trees.

The storm comes as Gujarat continues to recover from a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Jan. 26 that left thousands homeless. Many of them are still living in temporary shelters that might not be strong enough to withstand a cyclone, officials said.

Nearly 15,000 fishermen and other workers were the first to be evacuated in the low lying coastal areas, state officials said.

In Pakistan, officials said the cyclone was expected to move toward the lower coast of southern Pakistan in Sindh province bordering India.

''The center of the cyclone may cross land near the Pakistan-India coastal border around noon May 29,'' said Qamaruzaman Chaudhry, director-general of the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

''In view of the weakening tropical cyclone, widespread damages aren't anticipated, but people in low-lying areas are advised to move to safer areas,'' he said.

-- Anonymous, May 29, 2001