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News -
Hurricanes
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Written by Reed Patrick Timmer
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Thursday, 15 November 2007 09:52 |
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Tropical Cyclone Sidr has maintained its intensity over the last 24 hours, with maximum sustained winds currently estimated at 130 knots with gusts to 160 knots as of 12z Thursday. The storm is expected to make landfall over the next few hours over Southwest Bangladesh, and the impacts will be catastrophic. A storm surge of 20+ feet can be expected just to the east of the center at landfall, especially along the numerous river mouths that feed into the Bay of Bengal, which will leave very few structures left standing anywhere in the vicinity of the coast. This is a very bad situation for Bangladesh, and will likely go down as one of the most devastating natural disasters in the country's history.
The updated forecast track map from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center is shown below, which is a worst-case scenario for Bangladesh as most of the major river mouths will be located just to the east of the center at landfall. Thus, strong, persistent southerly flow will "pile-up" the water in these inlets, and the swampy low-lands will be covered in 20+ feet of water. Thankfully, evacuations have been underway in this region for the past 24-48 hours, with residents near the coast being moved well inland as quickly and efficiently as possible. Stay tuned for updates on this dangerous situation. Here are some links to news stories about Sidr:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/15/content_7083396.htm
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/blogs/hurricanes-storms/cyclone-sidr-47111211
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/14/bangladesh.cyclone.ap/index.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12784349/
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