Cyclone Amphan Devastated East-India and Bangladesh

Cyclone Amphan devastated East-India and Bangladesh on Wednesday, bringing the fatality rate to 15 as it whipped coastal regions, with whipping up of mud houses embankments.

The number of houses and trees uprooted by the storm rushed the areas with terribly furious winds and heavy rainfall in both the countries.

A 70-year-old man was engulfed under a fallen tree by the storm as it hit the country of Bangladesh. The country evacuated 2.4 million of the people to safe places.

About 0.4 million people belonging to East-India were also rescued before the severe storm hit. However, the relief operations are facing issues as coronavirus has imposed restrictive measures.

Cyclone’ name, Amphan was suggested by Thailand in 2000. The storm is considered the first super cyclone that formed in the Bay of Bengal since 1999. Though It has weakened now, it is categorized as a deadly storm.

Cyclone Amphan started to move inland with furious winds gusting up to 185 kph, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, general director of India Meteorological Department stated.

Fortunately, rice crop harvesting has almost been fulfilled before the damage due to the storm. Still it could leave a mark of devastation,” Mizanur Rahman Khan, a senior official in the Bangladesh agriculture ministry, said.

Amphan is expected to get further into Bangladesh on Thursday and later it might hit Bhutan.

“Our estimate is that some areas 10-15km from the coast could be inundated,” Mohapatra said.

Metrologists have cautioned rainfall could reach up to 300mm this could lead to more flooding and mud sliding could happen.

Director-General of India’s National Disaster Response Force, Satya Narayan expressed his sentiments over the deadly storm, he said, the impact of the cyclone had been ‘fairly devastating’ particularly in poor regions of the country.

Though it had been difficult to maintain social distancing amongst evacuees during the evacuation, efforts are being put to avoid social interaction at cyclone shelters along with hygiene protocol, he said.

“We have actually had to compel individuals out of their homes, make them wear veils, and put them in government structures,” said a senior police official in Kolkata.

It is too early to estimate the death toll or any property damage due to ferocious cyclones. However, many of the houses have toppled, trees and electricity poles uprooted, television showed.