Cyclone Guba Leaves 71 Dead in Papua New Guinea

At least 71 people have died in flooding after Tropical Storm Guba struck Papua New Guinea, spawning seven days of heavy rains.

The death toll could rise, news agencies reported.

The storm is the first Southern Hemisphere tropical storm to cause significant damage, but the season for such storms is only just getting under way.

Called cyclones in this part of the world, Guba would have been classified as a tropical storm in the Atlantic.

There are different words for tropical cyclones around the world -- hurricanes, tropical storms, typhoons. Scientists still debate how these storms will be changed by global warming, but many believe warmer oceans will mean stronger or more frequent storms.

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