Wind speeds, which had been as high as 150 kilometers per hour (90 mph) while the cyclone was in the Indian Ocean, were down to 90 kmh after it crossed the Tamil Nadu state coast close to Tuticorin port at 3:30 am (2200 GMT Wednesday).

"The system rapidly weakened into a cyclonic storm over land with its centre close to Tuticorin," said

Programme extension to 31 March 2001
Period covered: 1 to 30 November 2000
The major portion of the operation is either completed or will be by 31 December, 2000, achieving the intended goal of building four schools-cum-cyclone shelters and about 180-190 low cost core houses. However, some remaining works need to be undertaken, and due to difficult road conditions which are causing logistics delays the operation will be extended until 31 March 2001 to complete the full range of planned activities.

The context

Period covered: 1 January - 30 June 2000
The Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) has been active in disaster response, providing assistance to victims of the cyclone in Orissa and to drought affected communities in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Three community based disaster preparedness workshops were held over the period and the National Society continued its health activities including the Bhopal health and hygiene project and work in MCH. With a recent change of Secretary General, the National Society is focusing more on capacity building of the headquarters and branches.

Crippled by it's second year of drought, the state of Gujarat is now facing a more critical food shortage, as the October harvest has failed in many places. The ongoing drought and the failure of the much anticipated seasonal monsoon rains in this past summer

Government officials and local communities are predicting a dire consequences due to the drought, following closely on the heels of a devastating drought this which claimed the lives of many children and devastated livestock herds - the sole income source for most

GA/9832
Continuing its debate on strengthening the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, the General Assembly this afternoon adopted, without a vote, a resolution on international cooperation and coordination for the human and ecological rehabilitation and economic development of the Semipalatinsk region (Kazakhstan). By the terms of that text, it stressed the need for extra efforts in solving problems with regard to the region and its population.

Agriculture Minister Nitish Kumar told deputies in the upper house of parliament in Delhi that the flood waters also damaged nearly 3.5 million hectares of land.

Ecologists say India has been facing floods every year with an increasing number of casualities mainly due to destruction of forest land that regulates the gushing water flow.

Floods usually follow heavy monsoon rains.