India is preparing for a near record-breaking cyclone by evacuating over 11 million people in the storm's path

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India is preparing for a near record-breaking cyclone by evacuating over 11 million people in the storm's path

india fani cyclone

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It's the largest evacuation ahead of a national disaster in India's history.

While the country and its citizens are no strangers to an annual cyclone season (much like hurricane season in the Atlantic), severe tropical cyclone Fani is shaping up to be one of the worst storms India's seen in two decades. It's expected to make landfall on Friday morning, May 3, near Puri in the Odisha region with heavy rainfall and winds up to 150 miles per hour, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department, Fani has been classified as an "Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm," with conditions akin to a category 4 hurricane.

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More than 100 million people live in Fani's projected path, prompting Indian authorities to call for an evacuation of the country's entire eastern seaboard as the storm barrels north in the Bay of Bengal.

On May 2, the Odisha government evacuated more than 3.3 million people and confirmed plans to evacuate another 8 million before the storm hits tomorrow, according to the Times of India.

cyclone fani evacuations

India's special relief commissioner told the Press Trust of India news agency that tourists have been asked to leave the popular beach town of Puri by Thursday night as part of the evacuation.

Officials have opened more than 800 shelters and are ready to drop 100,000 dry food packets.

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cyclone Fani

Officials say Fani could be the worst storm since 1999, when a cyclone killed around 10,000 people and devastated large parts of the state.

Last week, tropical cyclone Kenneth ripped through northern Mozambique as the strongest tropical cyclone to ever make landfall in the country.That cyclone made landfall with the same strength that officials anticipate for cyclone Fani.

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