We have a date with Laila

Rushing in at 155km/h, cyclone set to unleash its fury on eastern coast today

While three Indian states, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa are set for a date with Laila, the tropical cyclone almost drowned the Sri Lankan capital as it made its way for the Big D with the Indian coast.

Back home, after waiting for nearly 48 hours, authorities kicked into high gear to tackle Laila as she prepares to hit the eastern coast this afternoon.

Several cities across the southern states and the eastern coast experienced heavy rainfall. Tamil Nadu's capital, Chennai, was worst hit as several streets were flooded and life came to a standstill.

Airports at Vijayawada, Hyderabad and Vishakapatnam were shut down as a precautionary measure.

Over 35,000 people have been evacuated from the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh and 120 command centres have been put in place to tackle the situation. The Centre has dispatched units of the National Disaster Response Force to be deployed in Vijayawada, Guntur, Nellore, Vishakapatnam, Prakasam and Machilipatnam.

East Godavari District Collector M Ravichandra said, "All precautionary measures are in place to meet any eventuality that may arise from the cyclonic storm."

"The storm is likely to intensify further and move northward. It will cross the Andhra coast between Kavali and Kakinada by this afternoon," said a Met official.

Once it hits land, the cyclone is expected to head towards West Bengal.

Fury on Indian shores
November 2009: Nearly 800 fishermen reported missing as Cyclone Phyan hits Arabian Sea
May 2009: Cyclone Aila pounds eastern India and Bangladesh. 191 dead
December 2008: Tamil Nadu is hit by cyclonic storm Nisha. At least 120 people dead

Chennai
Several parts of the city were flooded following heavy rains

Vizag
Heavy rains coupled with gusty winds have brought the city to a standstill

Hyderabad
Airport shutdown as a precautionary measure

Kolkata
On high alert, as Laila expected to move northward

The name game
>>u00a0During World War II, US military personnel informally named storms in the Pacific and Atlantic after their wives and girlfriends
>> Most countries name tropical storms after women
>> In 1979, the US National Weather Service began using names from both genders to designate hurricanes
>> Today, the World Meteorological Organisation is in charge of selecting names for hurricanes and storms around the world

35,000, evacuated in Andhra Pradesh

2.8 lakh, displaced in Colombo

Ten, killed in heavy rains last night

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