美国有线新闻 CNN 20年来最强气旋法尼登陆印度东海岸（在线收听）

This May 3rd, we begin in the South Asian country of India, where a powerful cyclone was expected to make landfall on Friday morning. The storm was named Fani. It had gathered strength in the Bay of Bengal the day before. And as it's headed toward India's east coast, its maximum sustained winds blew at 155 miles per hour, and that would mean tropical cyclone Fani could be the most powerful storm to hit in India in 20 years. The system that struck in eastern India in 1999 killed at least 10,000 people.

The nation's coast guard and navy prepared ships and helicopters for rescue operations. Military troops were standing by as well. Flights were cancelled in the region. Schools were closed. And around 900 shelters were set up to house people who have to evacuate their homes.

Unlike the Atlantic hurricane season, India's cyclone season doesn't have a specific date when it begins and ends. There are two main periods of activity, one in spring and one in fall, right before and right after the country's southwest monsoon season.

What's expected from cyclone Fani is a large storm surge, a rise in sea levels along the coast where it makes landfall. Significant wind damage was also possible. And farther inland, people were preparing for the possibility of flooding.

Directly in the path of the storm, when we produced the show, was the Indian coastal city of Puri.