Cyclone the Size of Katrina Strikes India

"A cyclone that may be among the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal bore down on the eastern coast of India on Saturday with heavy rains and high winds," reports Gardiner Harris. The storm, which was similar in size and power to the devastating Hurricanes Katrina and Andrew, caused "apocalyptic devastation in Brahmapur, just inland from where the cyclone reached the coast," reported the BBC's Andrew North.

"The Indian predictions before the storm made landfall were less alarming than those from meteorological authorities in the United States," adds Harris. "American meteorological authorities have appeared on Indian TV channels and have almost universally sounded more concerned about the coming storm than their Indian counterparts."