Cyclone Aila
Cyclone Aila began
as a disturbance on May 21 in the Bay of Bengal, strengthening quickly
to a Tropical Cyclone with windspeeds gusting up to 120 km/h (75 mph).
Aila made landfall soon after, bringing heavy rains, wind, and an
enormous storm surge of seawater that pushed inland, damaging or
destroying hundreds of thousands of homes in Bangladesh, India and
Myanmar. Over 300 people are confirmed to have died, with more than
8,000 still missing. Surviving residents are now receiving aid, mourning
the lost, beginning to rebuild - and some are leveling criticism at
their own governments, asking why stronger storm defenses were not in
place. According to the Associated Press, some 2.3 million people were
affected by Aila. (29 photos total)
