This archive report was first published on 20 May 2020.
Millions Flee as Cyclone Amphan Approaches India and Bangladesh ¶
More than 3 million people are being evacuated to emergency shelters in India and Bangladesh as Cyclone Amphan, a category 3 hurricane equivalent, is predicted to make landfall on Wednesday.
The storm, which has decreased in intensity but still poses a threat to coastal regions, is expected to bring heavy rains and big waves to the Sundarbans region, home to many rare animals, including Bengal tigers.
"We are expecting large-scale damage," said M. Mohapatra, an official at the India Meteorological Department.
The storm is one of the most dangerous super cyclones to hit India in decades, since a cyclone in 1999 killed more than 9,000 people.
Climate change is believed to be a contributing factor to the increasing intensity of tropical storms like Amphan, with warmer ocean temperatures providing more energy for the storms to grow.
Researchers have reported that the likelihood of cyclonic storms developing into category 3 storms has increased by about 8 percent per decade since the late 1970s.
Reporting was contributed by Jeffrey Gettleman, Sameer Yasir, Kai Schultz, Henry Fountain, and Jennifer Jett.
