The UN said the destruction in South Asia -- plus floods in Britain and heatwaves in southern Europe -- showed that the world must be better prepared to cope with the impact of climate change.

"The cyclone and the rain have left around 250,000 people homeless," Khuda Bakhsh Baloch, the relief commissioner of badly-hit Baluchistan province, told AFP, adding that dozens of villages were under water.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz ordered the immediate airlift of blankets, food, tents and medicine because several main highways had been badly damaged, an official statement said.

Telephone links were down to most of the affected region but residents who could be contacted in Kechh, one of Baluchistan's worst affected districts, said they had seen no sign of aid-bearing helicopters.

"The situation is grave here. People including women and children have been clinging on to trees and rooftops since late Tuesday," Jahangir Aslam, from the town of Turbat, told AFP.

He said water in the area's main dam had reached dangerous levels.

"We are hungry, we are thirsty, the authorities say they are sending helicopters but we have not seen any," said Hamal Baloch, also from Kechh.

Authorities said they were trying to get supplies to more than 1,300 car and bus passengers who were stranded when swollen rivers washed away bridges on two key roads.

Continuing rain was hampering aid efforts, said provincial government spokesman Raziq Bugti. "People need more assistance. We have relief helicopters ready but the weather is not permitting," he said.

Bugti said 12 people had been confirmed killed so far in Baluchistan but added: "I think the casualties may be high."

In Karachi, one person was electrocuted by power lines brought down by the cyclone overnight, hospital officials said. Officials say another eight have been killed in Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital.

Rescuers were also trying to evacuate thousands of people from fishing villages on islands off the Sindh coast, local fishermen's association leader Siraj Khoro said. Dozens of fishermen are still missing, he said.

Meteorological department chief Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry said the weather was improving after the cyclone moved northwest into Iran overnight.

Cyclone Yemyin is the second major storm of the north Indian Ocean cyclone season after Cyclone Gonu hit Oman, Iran and southwestern Pakistan in early June, killing more than 60 people.

UN disaster prevention official Salvano Briceno said in Geneva that the recent extreme weather in Pakistan and elsewhere was only a taste of what could happen in future through global warming.

"We cannot wait to be taken by surprise, we know what is going to happen and we can prepare for it," he added.

earlier related report
Tropical Cyclone 03B or "No Name" Meets Its End
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 28 - Cyclonic storms in the Arabian Sea are rare, but not unheard of. Two tropical cyclones in the space of a month, on the other hand, is quite rare indeed. Unlike its predecessor, Tropical Cyclone Gonu, Cyclone 03B originated on the opposite side of the Indian Peninsula in the Bay of Bengal.

By Wed. June 27, 2007, at 6:00 Zulu Time (2:00 a.m. EDT) however, the final warning was issued on Cyclone 03B, by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Tropical Cyclone 03B (No Name) was located at 26.2 north latitude and 62.6 east longitude or approximately 65 nautical miles west-northwest of Asni, Pakistan. Maximum sustained winds were 25 knots (29 mph), with gusts to 35 knots (40 mph). By that time, the cyclone had been over land for 15 hours and continued to weaken as it moved westward.

The image above was taken at 11:10 a.m. local time (06:10 UTC) on June 25, 2007, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite. At that time, Tropical Cyclone 03B was reforming in the Arabian Sea south of the Pakistan coast after having crossed over India.

The storm system has a discernable spiraling shape, but does not appear well-formed in this image. The storm has no distinct eye, suggesting that it is not particularly well organized. At the time, sustained winds were measured at 60 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour) according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center.

The storm flooded India's Andhra Pradesh province, resulting in 45 deaths, according to Weather Underground. It also caused flooding and wind damage in Karachi, Pakistan, where the death toll was around 200, according to BBC News. After crossing land, the storm reached the Arabian Sea and began to reform.

As of June 26, forecasts were calling for the storm to gain some organization and power, skirt the Pakistani coast, and make landfall again somewhere near the border between Iran and Pakistan. Storm surge from Cyclone 03B was predicted to be moderately high, even though the storm is not strong, since the offshore waters are shallow, similar to the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Because these kinds of storms are rare, coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to storm surge damage.

'No Name' Cyclone Enters Arabian Sea, Forecasters Eye Eastern Pacific
The cyclone identified as "03B" or the "No Name" cyclone crossed over central India over the weekend of June 23, and as of Monday, June 25, 2007, is churning in the Arabian Sea.

As of 12:00 Zulu Time (8:00 a.m. EDT) 03B was located near 23.5 degrees north latitude and 66.4 east longitude, approximately 85 nautical miles south-southwest of Karachi, Pakistan. It has tracked northwestward at 10 knots (11 mph) over the past 6 hours and continues to head in that general direction. Observations in Karachi, Pakistan at that time recorded sustained winds of 26 knots (29 mph) with a 3 millibar drop in pressure in the last 24 hours, indicating the approaching cyclone.

Landfall is also now expected to occur further to the east over western Pakistan. Forecasters believe that the tropical cyclone will intensify before making landfall, and are forecasting maximum sustained winds could reach 55 knots (63 mph).

Once Cyclone 03B makes landfall, it is expected to weaken quickly over the rugged terrain, and will likely dissipate in 36 hours. Forecasters note that the maximum significant wave heights are currently near 14 feet in the Arabian Sea.

'No Name' Cyclone Affecting India; No Storms Near U.S.
As of Friday, June 22, 2007, we're three weeks into the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Hurricane Seasons, but all appears quiet in both places, at least for the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Meanwhile, half a world away, the Indian sub-continent is dealing with a tropical cyclone simply identified as "03B," or the "No Name" cyclone.

On June 22 at 9:00 Zulu time (5:00 a.m. EDT), 03B was located near 15.8 north and 79.6 east, or approximately 225 nautical miles west-southwest of Visakhapatnam, India. It has tracked westward at 12 knots (13 mph) over the past 6 hours and is dissipating over land. Maximum sustained winds were reported at 35 knots (40 mph) with gusts to 45 knots (51 mph).

The current warning position is based on satellite imagery and surface observations from stations along the east coast of India. The system has moved ashore and is forecast to dissipate. The remnants are forecast to track westward across central India and may eventually track into the Arabian Sea after several days, allowing the possibility for some regeneration.

Related Links
Hurricanes at NASA
MODIS Rapid Response
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

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