Accumulated low pressure over the Bay of Bengal resulted in storms and cyclones in neighbouring Bangladesh causing widespread damage to life and property. Windspeeds of 150 mph slammed the country’s south-east coast on Thursday and left 41 people dead mainly caught under the debris of collapsed homes and rendered thousands homeless.
Nomenclatured Cyclone Sidr, the high speed wind destroyed several villages and brought heavy rains and made the waves rise higher, before losing fury and becoming a tropical storm.
Bangladesh Meteorological Department said that Sidr’s eye crossed the Khulna-Barisal coast near the Sundarbans mangrove forests. The affected coastal area borders eastern India and is famous for the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, a world heritage site that is home to rare Royal Bengal Tigers.
Government rescue forces said that over 650,000 people had been evacuated and more are being relocated from the affected area. According to Ali Imam Majumder, a senior government official about 3.2 million people have to be evacuated to safety in the next two days.
We have taken all precautions, we have dispatched food, medicines, tents and blankets to the affected areas and suspended operations at the country’s two main seaports – Chittagong and Mongla. We have also halted ferry and flight services across the coastal region and issued warnings to ships to return to shore,
said Majumder.
The worst affected districts are: Bagerhat, Barisal and Bhola, where thousands of flimsy straw and mud huts were flattened by strong winds and heavy rains have flooded low-lying areas.
The effect of the cyclone is being felt in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh too. Torrential rains have left streets flooded, vehicles stranded and billboards flying.
Annual Phenomenon
Cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons and heavy rains are not new to Bangladesh. Being a low-lying delta nation, the country is prone to frequent and seasonal cyclones and floods that cause huge losses of life and property.
Despite experiencing regular damage successive governments have failed to take steps to install a effective warning system or to relocate the entire villages to safer positions so that storms will not cause loss to life and property. Every year hundreds die and thousands suffer loss of property but there has been no steps to prevent this widespread catastrophe.
The damage to crops irrigation systems, villages, homes is heavy and the village economy of the affected region will be set back by a few years feel experts. Selva Sinnadurai, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Bangladesh, said people have no option but to take refuge in schools, community centers and other public buildings because there aren’t enough cyclone shelters – concrete buildings on raised pilings in the region.
Impact on India
Meterological department sources feel Cyclone Sidr is also likely to trigger flooding along coastal areas of India and the states of West Bengal and Orissa will be affected. Here is the real test to the recently installed Tsunami Warning System and also to the people incharge of taking action. Whether they will heed the warning and take action to evacuate people and save lives.
Only time will answer the concern.
Source: MSNBC
UPDATE: CYCLONE TOLL REACHES 1,100 IN BANGLADESH
