Update: Cyclone Phailin Hits India after 500,000 Evacuate

Update: Cyclone Phailin Hits India after 500,000 Evacuate

Gospel for Asia
For Immediate Release
For More Information Contact:
Taun Cortado @ 972-300-3120
tauncortado@gfa.org

CARROLLTON, TX (ANS) -- Around half a million people had fled the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as Cyclone Phailin made landfall in India on Saturday night. Three people have already been killed by heavy winds.

“We have taken a zero-casualty approach,” said Odisha state disaster manager Kamal Lochan Mishra. “If people do not move, force will be used to evacuate them.”

Despite warnings over loudspeakers, radio and television of a storm comparable to the United States’ Hurricane Katrina, some locals were still hesitant to leave their fishing boats and homes.

“We have been hearing about the cyclone on the radio for the last two days,” Ms. Das told the Wall Street Journal. “We didn’t want to leave our things at home because we were worried they could get stolen. But the rain is so much stronger today that we decided to risk it.”

In one Odisha district, 50 Gospel for Asia pastors and 3,000 believers retreated to relief camps. Pastor Alok Peter reported 100 homes destroyed in one village, but much greater damage is expected. A pastor in Andhra Pradesh said most people in his region have lost their homes.

Even after clearing the coast in one of the largest evacuations in the nation’s history, an estimated 12 million remain in the path of the storm, which measures 1,500 miles, or roughly the distance between New Hampshire and Miami.

As it approaches, Cyclone Phailin has weakened, making it less powerful than the 1999 Odisha cyclone, which killed 10,000 people, and government officials are confident their efforts will save thousands of lives. Still the storm is expected to continue bringing storm surges and heavy rainfall for the next two days, which pose serious dangers.

Two of the first three people killed were hit by falling trees, and a third was killed when her mud house collapsed. Flooded roads will likely make finding outside help impossible for many.

“In a storm of this magnitude, there is the potential for widespread damage to crops and livestock in the low-lying coastal areas and houses completely wiped away,” Kumal Shah, head of World Vision’s Indian emergency response team, told The Guardian.

“Please pray for this situation,” said GFA pastor S.E. Quamar. “May the Lord protect them and keep them safe.”

Please pray for:

* Protection of each person in the storm’s path, whether in a shelter or still on their way.
* Continued guidance and wisdom for government officials and all seeking to provide relief and rescue from the storm.
* God’s peace to reign in the hearts of believers affected by the storm.
* God to show His love to the people of India in the midst of this crisis.

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Gospel for Asia (GFA), a Christian mission organization based in Carrollton, Texas, has brought the Good News of Christ to millions in South Asia since its founding in 1978. GFA provides education, meals and healthcare to tens of thousands of South Asia’s impoverished children through its Bridge of Hope program. For more information, visit www.gfa.org or on Facebook.