NEW DELHI. Bangladesh has evacuated nearly 800,000 people from vulnerable areas as a severe cyclone looms, threatening the country and neighboring India. The storm, which has formed over the Bay of Bengal, is expected to make landfall around midnight Sunday.
According to the India Meteorological Department, the cyclone is projected to hit maximum wind speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph), with gusts reaching 135 kph (85 mph). The areas most at risk include West Bengal’s Sagar Island in India and Bangladesh’s Khepupara region.
Bangladesh’s junior minister for disaster management and relief, Mohibur Rahman, confirmed that volunteers have been deployed to assist in evacuating residents to 4,000 cyclone shelters located throughout the coastal region. Additionally, all schools in the area have been closed until further notice to ensure public safety.
In preparation for the cyclone, several airports in the region have been closed. India’s Kolkata airport will shut down for 21 hours starting from midnight Sunday. Bangladesh has closed the airport in Chattogram and canceled all domestic flights to and from Cox’s Bazar.
Bangladeshi authorities have also suspended operations at the country’s largest port in Chittagong, relocating more than a dozen ships from the jetties to the deep sea as a precautionary measure.
This cyclone marks the first major storm in the Bay of Bengal ahead of the monsoon season, which typically runs from June to September. Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected across coastal districts in India’s West Bengal state, with a storm surge about 1 meter (3.1 feet) high predicted to flood low-lying areas in both coastal West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Such storms are known to uproot trees and cause significant damage to thatched homes, power lines, and communication infrastructure.
India’s coastal regions frequently experience cyclones, but changing climate patterns have increased the intensity of these storms, making disaster preparedness more critical than ever.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
