Towns and villages were flooded and tens of thousands of homes destroyed as Cyclone struck India. In more than a decade the strongest storm to hit India made landfall in eastern Orissa state. Officials said they knew of only 17 fatalities more than 20 hours after the disaster struck.
Most of the deaths came from falling branches or collapsing buildings in the rains ahead of the 125 mph cyclone, but it initially appears that the evacuation of almost 1million people saved many lives.
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