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Amphan hits coastal region


Bangladeshpost
Published : 20 May 2020 10:25 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 12:10 PM

Severe cyclonic storm Amphan hit the Sundarbans coast of Bangladesh coastlines on Wednesday evening after making a landfall in India's West Bengal.

At least two people were killed in Khulna and Bhola while taking preparation to leave for cyclone shelters.
The cyclone hit the Shyamnagar and Koyra areas of Satkhira around 5pm with 160-180 kph wind speeds at its centre.

Confirming the matter to Bangladesh Post, Met Office Director Shamsuddin Ahmed said the cyclone crossed Satkhira and Khulna region around 8pm on Wednesday. The wind speed gradually dropped as it passed through the coastal belt.

Amphan, one of the fiercest cyclones in decades, was due to make landfall late Wednesday afternoon with forecasts of a potentially devastating and deadly storm surge.

A few hours ahead of the predicted arrival of Amphan, the Bangladeshi Red Crescent reported the first death, after one its volunteers drowned in Khulna while moving villagers to shelter when strong winds capsized a boat.

Meanwhile, an elderly man has died after a tree fell on him amid the stormy weather caused by the cyclonic storm Amphan in Bhola. The victim, Siddique Fakir, 70, was injured in the tree-fall on Wednesday morning in Kachchapia area of Char Fashion and succumbed to his injury this afternoon while undergoing treatment in a local hospital.

The water level started rising in different rivers of Barguna, Satkhira and other coastal districts from Wednesday morning, collapsing embankments of several rivers.

The maritime ports of Mongla and Payra were advised to hoist great danger signal number 10 while Chattogram and Cox's Bazar were advised to hoist great danger signal number 9.

The threat of such a strong cyclone is looming at a time when Bangladesh is struggling to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. However, all necessary measures have been taken to face the situation and save lives and property.

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Enamur Rahman said the government has taken necessary preparations to face cyclone Amphan. Around 2.4 million people and over half a million livestock have been brought to some 15,000 cyclone shelters.

Officials said preparations have been made in some 140 coastal upazilas that might be affected by the cyclone. The government will provide the victims with the necessary food and other essentials. Besides, around 1,800 medical teams are working for medical support in these areas.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said, “If the cyclone Amphan hits, the normal power supply system may be disrupted. We are observing the movement of Amphan. In the meantime, REB, WZPDCL and other distribution companies have been instructed in this regard. Immediate uninterrupted power supply will be ensured by speeding up post-cyclone maintenance and repair activities.”

“We have two floating LNG terminals in the deep sea, from where we supply gas all over the country through pipeline. If the cyclone hits, our gas supply may also be disrupted for the time being. However, we have all kinds of pre-preparedness so that we can quickly restart everything after any disaster such as Amphan,” he added.

Earlier, Cyclone Cidr hit Bangladesh in 2006, devastating the southwestern coast of Bangladesh, killing more than 2,000 people. Where Cidr originated, Ampan also originated in the same area of the Bay of Bengal near the Andaman Islands.

A decade ago, Cidr's storm swept over the Sundarbans, protecting vast coastal areas. The Sundarbans was also a shield in the case of ‘Bulbuls’ (another devastating storm). However, Sundarbans may also protect the country from Amphan, experts expressed their hopes.

According to a joint report on Amphan by the Department of Agricultural and the Meteorological Department, it may affect 51 districts of the country. However, the 24 coastal districts are at a high risk of crop and public damage due to the storm.

Officials of Ministry of Agriculture said this time the target has been set to produce 2 crore 4 lakh tons of Boro paddy. Of this, 65 percent has been cut. Besides, there are about 8 lakh tons of mango and 10 lakh tons of jackfruit are in the field. There are also plenty of watermelons, melons, litchis and other seasonal fruits. All of it is in a mature state. As a result, agronomists think that there is a risk of extensive damage if they are not harvested from the trees quickly.

The coastal districts of Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jhalokati, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barisal, Laxmipur, Chandpur and the surrounding islands and chars of these districts will be under Danger Signal 7. On the other hand, the coastal districts of Noakhali, Feni, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and the islands and chars near these districts will be under the danger signal number 6.

Mohammad Abdul Wazed, former director general of the Disaster Management Department, said maintaining social distance and adhering to hygiene rules will be a major challenge in cyclone shelters this time.

"It will be a little harder to stay at a safe distance as there is a possibility of overcrowding in the cyclone shelters. So there is a risk of mass infection of the virus in the shelters.”

Wazed also said sending relief goods and rehabilitating people in the areas will also bring new challenges. The aftermath of the cyclone can be very dangerous, he feared.

But Bangladesh authorities fear that Amphan will be the most powerful storm front since Cyclone Sidr killed about 3,500 people and causing billions of dollars in damage in 2007.

First super cyclone since 1999: Leading global storm tracker AccuWeather has described Amphan as the first super cyclone in the Bay of Bengal since 1999, fearing the storm to unleash extreme impact across Bangladeshi and northeastern Indian coastlines.

The US-based weather forecasting agency said the cyclone was drifting north-northeastward over the open Bay of Bengal early Tuesday while “favorable environmental conditions have allowed for (its) significant strengthening”.

How it is named: Amphan means strong or powerful. This is a Thai word. Thai meteorologists have given this name. Meteorologists from South and Southeast Asian countries along the Bay of Bengal compiled a list of 64 cyclones. Amphan was the last on that list. The storm that will then form in the sea will be fixed from the new list.