Cyclone Phailin from above, in this image captured by US Naval Research Laboratory.
With winds of 200 km/h and torrential rains, Cyclone Phailin made landfall this Saturday in the state of Orissa, on the eastern coast of India, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
The first deaths reported were four people who died as a result of falling trees, while a fifth died when their mud house collapsed.
Rescue teams and soldiers have been distributed throughout the region that will be affected, although authorities warn that the extent of the destruction that Phailin may have caused will only begin to be known around Sunday morning.
The first information from the Asian country speaks of destroyed houses and broken trees when the cyclone hit the eastern coast..
A BBC correspondent in Orissa said that at the moment the extent of the damage is not clear as power lines have fallen and many of the most affected areas are cut off..
Some 12 Millions of people reside in the area that the cyclone passed through., although aid agencies and the Indian government were confident that the measures taken to receive the storm will minimize human and material losses..
The powerful storm is expected –catalogada como "ciclón muy severo", equivalent to a category 4 Atlantic hurricane– continue to affect eastern India over the next few days as it moves into eastern Andhra Pradesh.
More of 500.000 People were evacuated before the arrival of the cyclone in the eastern states of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, those most exposed to its scourge.
bitter memories
Cyclone Phailin was anticipated to be the largest storm in the region in recent 14 years.
Many in Orissa remember with alarm how in 1999 Another super cyclone claimed the lives of more than 10.000 personas.
But officials say they are better prepared this time, as reported by BBC correspondent Sanjoy Majumder from Orissa.
Orissa Disaster Management Minister, Narayan Patra: "Estamos luchando contra la naturaleza. We are better prepared this time, hemos aprendido mucho desde 1999".
The army has been on alert in the two states for emergency and relief operations. Officials said helicopters and food packages were ready to bring supplies to storm-affected areas..
The eastern coast of India and Bangladesh is routinely hit by cyclonic storms between April and November causing deaths and extensive property damage..
In December 2011, Cyclone Thane killed dozens of people in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
They did not wait for the cyclone to arrive: More than half a million people sought refuge.
