Srikakulam(AP)/Gopalpur(Odisha): 'The very severe' cyclone Phailin, the worst since the disastrous super-cyclone of 1999, on Saturday night slammed the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coasts, causing widespread devastation, uprooting thousands of trees and electric poles, blowing away thatched huts and enveloping the entire region in darkness.
In Srikakulam, Viziangaram, and other coastal area of Andhra Pradesh, most of the roads were blocked by uprooted trees and electric poles, lowlying areas submerged, and power supply was down.
A large number of thatched huts were blown away by the 210 kmph cyclone, that is now moving northwestward, with the India Meteorological Department expecting it could further weaken.
