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24 lakh evacuated from coastal region


Published : 20 May 2020 09:53 PM | Updated : 05 Sep 2020 03:19 AM

Around 24 lakh people were evacuated to 14,636 cyclone shelters in 16 coastal districts to minimise fatalities before super cyclone Amphan hit Bangladesh coasts bordering India approximately at 8:00pm on Wednesday night.

‘The cyclone is likely to cross the Sunderbans in Satkhira and Khulna area between 6:00pm and 8:00pm as it would move inland after making landfall,’ said state minister for disaster management and relief Enamur Rahman at an online briefing in the afternoon. A Bangladesh Meteorological Department special bulletin issued at 3:00pm said that the cyclone would lash coastal areas with winds blowing up to 160km per hour.

The cyclone is likely to push water 10–15 feet above the normal astronomical tide inundating low-lying areas in 14 coastal districts, their offshore islands and chars, said the Met Office.

“Over 24 lakh people have so far been moved to cyclone shelters in the coastal belt districts,” disaster management ministry spokeswomen Quazi Jasmine Ara Ajmeri told BSS on Wednesday evening at the ministry’s makeshift control room in the capital, as facilities were readied for some 22 lakh people.

She substantiated BSS reports from coastlines that the officials and volunteers were still calling up people using megaphones to move to safety.

Ajmeri, a deputy secretary of the ministry, reconfirmed that the local authorities ensured adequate food and children food for the people in the shelters in many cases with their cattle as well. The met office in its early morning bulletin issued its highest “Great Danger Signal” for the regions under the purview of the southwestern Mongla and Payra ports, replacing the previously issued mere “Danger Signal”.

In a subsequent midday bulletin it issued the identical Great Danger Signal for the countries rest two seaports of Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar and their adjoining southwestern regions.

Meteorologists said in a scale of 11, great danger signal no 8, 9 and 10 carry identical meaning in terms of intensity while the numbers differ only to indicate approaching storms’ directions.

Signal no. 11 is called Communication Failure Signal No. XI, indicating severed communications of the meteorological warning centre to the affected region.

The meteorologists said the world largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, was likely to absorb the main brunt of the Amphan onslaughts as it did many times over the centuries, including that of the recent major storms, to minimise human casualties.

“The Sundarbans always absorbed the brunt of cyclones whichever hit the coastlines alongside the Bangladesh-India, we expect the forest to face the initial impact of Amphan like foot soldiers this time as well,” Bangladesh’s meteorology department director Shamsuddin Ahmed earlier told newsmen.

According to the latest met office bulletin the cyclone was located at 12 noon today about 480 km southwest of Chattogram,470 km southwest of Cox’s Bazar, 290 km southwest of Mongla and 320 km southwest of Payra ports as it proceeded further towards the shorelines.

“It is likely to move in a north-northeasterly direction and may cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coast near Sundarbans during this afternoon or evening,” the bulletin read.

Maximum sustained wind speed within 85 Kms of the cyclone center is about 200kph rising to 220kph in gusts or squalls. Sea will remain very high near the cyclone Center.

Amphan coinciding with the influence of the end day of last quarter moon could inundate low-lying areas of coastal Satkhira, Khulna, Bagherhat, Jhalokathi, Pirojpur, Borguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Laxmipur, Noakhali, Feni, Chattogram and their offshore islands and shoals under as high as 19 feet high tides beyond the normal astronomical ones.

Te bulletin reiterated that these mostly southwestern and central coastal region were likely to experience simultaneously strong winds speeding up to 140-160 kph in gusts or squalls with heavy to very heavy rain falls during the passage of the cyclone.

All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay and deep sea have been advised to take shelter immediately and will remain in shelter till further notice,the bulletin added.

The disaster management officials said 31,00 tonnes rice, Taka 50 lakh cash, Taka 31 lakh for baby food, Taka 28 lakh for animal feed and 42,000 packets dry food were allocated for the local administration of districts exposed to the cyclone.

Reports from the coastlines said the residents their now witnesses drizzles visibly as prelude to the advancing storms while many of the people preferred to move to cyclone shelters at the last minute after much persuasion overnight by officials and volunteers.

“The wind speed appears to increasing gradually since early morning amid light to heavy drizzles,” a BSS correspondent reported from Bhola.

BSS main correspondent for Khulna region said the downpour along with gusty wind continued since midnight in Khulna, Satkhira and Bagherhat.