Cyclone Amphan devastates India and Bangladesh. At least 24 dead
Environment — di Andrea Barolini
India and Bangladesh have been struck by super-cyclone Amphan. A definitive assessment of the human and material damage will likely take days.
Cyclone Amphan devastates India and Bangladesh. At least 24 dead
India and Bangladesh have been struck by super-cyclone Amphan. A definitive assessment of the human and material damage will likely take days.
Update 21 May, 9am – Cyclone Amphan, described as a "super" cyclone by meteorologists, struck the coasts of south-eastern India and Bangladesh yesterday, Wednesday 20 May. It had formed two days earlier in the Bay of Bengal. Initially there were fears it could prove to be the strongest since 2007, the year in which the devastating Cyclone Sidr was recorded. However, the phenomenon is believed to have been the most powerful since the time of Cyclone Orissa, which caused the deaths of more than 10,000 people and damage in excess of 4.5 billion dollars.
Cyclone Amphan has battered parts of Bangladesh and eastern India, killing several people and destroying thousands of homes.
Read more: aje.io/c3lc4
Read more: aje.io/c3lc4
The latest toll reported by the international press is nonetheless infinitely less dramatic in terms of loss of human life. By Wednesday evening, the official death toll stood at fourteen. The figure was revised by the authorities to 24 in the early hours of this morning. However, reports speak of devastated coastlines and thousands of homes destroyed. It will likely take several days to establish a definitive assessment of the damage and the victims. The director general of India's National Disaster Relief Force described the situation in the Sundarbans region in stark terms: the area had been "pulverised" by the cyclone. A troubling statement, given that the world's largest mangrove forest is located there.
VIDEO: Social distancing scrapped as cyclone batters India, Bangladesh.
Social distancing was futile for frightened groups of people in Bangladesh and India fleeing Cyclone Amphan, taking refuge in packed shelters despite fears of coronavirus infection
Social distancing was futile for frightened groups of people in Bangladesh and India fleeing Cyclone Amphan, taking refuge in packed shelters despite fears of coronavirus infection
6.30pm – Cyclone Amphan is stretching from eastern India to Bangladesh, bringing torrential rain and winds of more than 190 kilometres per hour. It made landfall at around 6pm roughly one hundred kilometres from Calcutta and is now heading towards Bangladesh.
According to reports in the international press, meteorologists indicate that waves could reach five metres in height. So far, authorities have confirmed the deaths of three people as a result of the cyclone. Thousands of people are without electricity, while the force of the wind is uprooting trees and bringing down pylons. The authorities in Dhaka have stated that they evacuated a total of 2.4 million people from coastal areas.
Super-cyclone Amphan hits India and Bangladesh
-> Fiercest Bay of Bengal storm this century
-> 7m evacuated
-> Winds over 193km/h
-> 5 meter waves
All in middle of a pandemic: 12,000 shelters needed instead of 5,000 and impossible choices between staying put or risking infection
-> Fiercest Bay of Bengal storm this century
-> 7m evacuated
-> Winds over 193km/h
-> 5 meter waves
All in middle of a pandemic: 12,000 shelters needed instead of 5,000 and impossible choices between staying put or risking infection
Update 20 May, 2pm – International media have reported that the first death caused by Cyclone Amphan has been announced in Bangladesh. Before the cyclone had even made landfall, the force of the wind capsized a boat belonging to a non-governmental organisation involved in evacuating some villages. A man carrying a heavy megaphone, boots and a raincoat was unable to save himself near the town of Kalapara, according to information relayed to AFP by the Red Crescent.
Millions of people evacuated and an entire nation preparing for the arrival of the most powerful cyclone in recent years. Amphan, as it has been named, is set to strike Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest nations, on Wednesday. It is expected to reach the coast of the Asian country during the afternoon or evening, with winds of up to 200 kilometres per hour, according to meteorologists' forecasts.
Up to 2.2 million people evacuated in Bangladesh ahead of Cyclone Amphan
Amphan is bringing back memories for the people of Bangladesh of the tragic days when, in 2007, Cyclone Sidr struck the coasts, causing widespread flooding, enormous damage and killing 3,500 people. Compared to that time, however, authorities say they are better prepared for the extreme event. They have built thousands of shelters for the population and put in place rapid evacuation plans.
These are already being implemented: "We will move up to 2.2 million people, in an attempt to try to avoid casualties," Enamur Rahman, the state secretary responsible for disaster management, told AFP. The first to be evacuated were residents of coastal areas, especially those most exposed to a possible sudden rise in sea level.
The Bangladeshi government has also put in place a series of measures designed to prevent too many people congregating in the shelters. This could indeed facilitate the spread of coronavirus. The wearing of face masks will be made compulsory, and the number of protected areas available to the population has been further increased, in order to maintain, as far as possible, sufficient distances between individuals.
The risk of coronavirus infection in flood shelters
Those living on islands, meanwhile, have already been transported ashore by Coast Guard vessels. All vessels have also been ordered to return to port and ports have been closed.
Tropical Cyclone #Amphan has rapidly intensified into a Category 5 equivalent. A major storm surge threat is headed for parts of India and Bangladesh: weather.com/storms/hurrica…
So far, however, these are figures provided by the authorities. According to the non-governmental organisation Catholic Relief Services, the challenge facing residents of Bangladesh's coastal areas is in reality "impossible". In a statement, the association's president Snigdha Chakraborty stressed that "space in shelters is limited and those currently confined may hesitate to leave their homes, even if they are not particularly sturdy."