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Cyclone Michaung Batters Southeastern India

by VOA News

   Rescuers used boats to help people stranded inside their homes in
   southeastern India amid widespread flooding caused by Cyclone Michaung,
   which left at least 13 people dead and forced thousands of evacuations.

   Torrential rains preceded the cyclone, which made landfall Tuesday in
   the state of Andhra Pradesh. Trees were uprooted and infrastructure
   damaged.

   In nearby Tamil Nadu state, the storm also caused widespread damage and
   forced the closure of the airport in the capital, Chennai. Many
   vehicles were swept away in the flooding.

   Rescuers had to wade through waist deep waters to reach people stranded
   in some houses in Tamil Nadu.

   Air force helicopters have been used to deliver food to those who are
   stuck.

   Tamil Nadu State Chief Minister M. K. Stalin requested $600 million
   from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help pay for recovery efforts.

   Some residents of Chennai questioned if the infrastructure could
   withstand the severe weather. Though improved storm drainage would have
   helped in "moderate and heavy rainfall," it would not have prevented
   flooding in "heavy and extremely heavy rains," according to civil
   engineer and geo-analytics expert Raj Bhagat P.

   Cyclones are common along the coast of India, although the effects of
   changing climate have made them more intense and caused difficulty in
   preparing for severe weather.

   Some information in this report came from Reuters, The Associated Press
   and Agence France Presse.