Less
than a week after being hit by Cyclone Chapala, inhabitants of Socotra
Island in Yemen are in a panic as Cyclone Megh thrashes the island.
Megh made a direct hit as the equivalent of a Category 2 or 3 hurricane Sunday.
At least two people were killed and dozens of others were injured, reports Gulf News.
People
who returned to their seafront homes, already destroyed by Chapala,
have fled again, heading to government buildings or highlands as heavy
floods hit again, according to World Meteorological Organization
spokeswoman Clare Nulls.
Cyclone #Megh has made a direct hit on Yemen's Socotra Island: http://wxch.nl/1Qc9pA3
Minister of Fisheries Fahd Kavieen
has urged the United Nations and neighboring Oman to “urgently intervene
with emergency teams” to help save residents on the island, Aljazeera
reports.
“A storm of this strength is likely to cause
widespread destruction, and is easily capable of damaging homes and
snapping trees,” said Al Jazeera weather presenter Steff Gaulter. "The
damage caused by Megh is likely to be extensive, particularly for an
island which has been hit by a similar cyclone less than a week ago."
Back-to-back
cyclones such as Chapala and Megh affecting Socotra Island within the
span of a week is unprecedented in historical record. According to NOAA's historical hurricane tracks database, only once before on record have a pair of cyclones tracked within 200 nautical miles of Socotra Island within the same season.
At
least three people were killed and more than 300 others were injured on
Socotra after Chapala's landfall. The island suffered huge property
loss and an estimated 2,000 people have been displaced.
This is breaking news. Check back for more updates.
MORE: Cyclone Chapala
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