Cyclone Remal kills 10, hits 3.8m people

At least 10 people were killed and 3.8 million affected in inundation by tidal surge as the cyclone Remal lashed at Bangladesh with rainstorm since Sunday night, sources said Monday.

The tropical storm especially battered coastal areas, also inundating shrimp farms and crops in 19 coastal districts.

Packing wind speeds of up to 135kph, the cyclone, codenamed Remal, made landfall late on Sunday near Bangladesh's southern seaport of Mongla and India's Sagar Islands in West Bengal, before gradually weakening into a deep depression on Monday morning across the country.

The cyclone disrupted power supply to millions, making vulnerable the region's low-lying coasts to such natural disasters exacerbated by climatic chaos.

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Mohibbur Rahman in his Monday briefing said the super-cyclone Remal left at least 10 people dead and affected at least another 3.75 million in 19 districts of the country,

In the press briefing at the Secretariat, the state minister said 107 upazilas and 914 unions and municipalities of these districts suffered losses where 35,483 houses were completely destroyed and 114,992 partially.

"So far, 10 deaths have been reported in Khulna, Satkhira, Barisal, Patuakhali, Bhola and Chattogram," Mohibbur Rahman said.

Department of Disaster Management head Mijanur Rahman mentioned the challenges in evacuating people to cyclone shelters, saying that many "wait until the last moment, often leading to tragic outcomes".

The official death toll is expected to rise as more information emerges from affected coastal regions.

According to the ministry, Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Jhalakathi, Barishal, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Barguna, Bhola, Feni, Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Chandpur, Narail, Gopalganj, Shariatpur and Jashore districts have been mainly affected by the severe cyclonic storm.

The state minister informed that relief activities were started for the disaster-affected people, allocating Tk6.85 crore along with 5,500 tonnes of rice and 5,000 packets of dry food for distribution.

"We have conducted pre-disaster activities in coordination with all departments of the government and now we are continuing post-disaster activities. I personally spoke to the MPs of the coastal districts on the phone about finding out the locals."

And "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is constantly monitoring the overall situation."

The state minister further said 9,424 shelters were opened in the coastal areas in view of the cyclone and more than 0.8 million people evacuated to these shelters as well as local educational institutions.

A total of 1,471 medical teams have been formed to provide medical care to the affected people, out of which 1,400 teams are operational, he added.

Meanwhile, the department of fisheries and the department of agricultural extension (DAE) said approximately 74,500 shrimp ghers and several thousand hectares of crops in the Khulna , Barishal, Noakhali, Chattogaram regions were impacted by flooding and heavy rain resulting from the cyclone.

According to the Department of Fisheries, around 38,800 shrimp farms in Khulna district, 35,000 in Bagerhat had borne the brunt of Cyclone Remal, with most being washed away.

DoF officials' preliminary estimate showed a loss of Tk 1.6 billion from the shrimp enclosures.

Khulna District Fisheries Officer Jaydev Kumar Pal said extensive damage was caused by flooding in Koira, Paikgacha, and Dakop upazilas, where most ghers are submerged.

"The final assessment of losses could be delivered after the weather being normal," he said.

The cyclone has also caused significant losses to agricultural produce, particularly in areas falling in the way of Cyclone Remal, with reports of damage to paddy, vegetables, pulses, betel nuts, mangoes, and lychees.

According to Agriculture Ministry, the cyclone, bringing excessive rainfall on Monday, poses a risk of partial damage to diverse crops.

Reportedly, 97.08 per cent of Boro-paddy harvesting has concluded in 19 coastal districts, with Haor witnessing 100-percent completion. Nevertheless, approximately 15 per cent of paddy remains to be harvested countrywide, with ripening paddy suffering damage due to relentless rainfall induced by Cyclone Remal.

The Ministry states that there are presently 38,000 hectares of Aush paddy in cultivation, along with 93,000 hectares of summer maize, 64,000 hectares of sesame, 7,000 hectares of groundnut, 13,000 hectares of mung bean, 36,000 hectares of chilli, 0.336 million hectares of vegetables, 12,000 hectares of ginger, and 26,000 hectares of turmeric in the field.

During stormy weather, ripe rice, green vegetables, green chili, summer melons, onions, and tomatoes are apprehended to endure most damage.

Tazul Islam Patwary, director of DAE, says the total figure of loss and damages could be available on Tuesday as the Department failed to make contact with many officials due to power outage that caused a blow to mobile networks.

Meanwhile, the Met Office in its forecast at 9:00 pm on Monday said the severe Cyclone "Remal" crossed the coast, turned into a land deep depression over Jashore while expected to weaken, bringing precipitation across the country over next three days.

Moderate to heavy gusty winds are likely in most places, especially Rajshahi, Rangpur,

 Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet region in next two days.

Chattogram witnessed 235 millimeters of rainfall in twenty-four hours between Sunday and Monday evening followed by Satkhira 172 mm, Khulna 163,

 Dhaka 151 and Barishal 147 mm, according to Met Office's 9:00 pm update on Monday.

[email protected]