Category: Weather

After the threat of ‘Amphan’, the people of Bangladesh had much time in the restoration processes. But it seems nature’s wrath isn’t over yet. Another powerful Cyclone is forming and approaching us. It’s been named Gati. The Indian Weather authorities have expressed that it has formed due to the downward pressure in the Eastern-Middle parts of the Bay of Bengal.

The maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla, and Payra are advised to hoist distant cautionary signal number one after a low over East-central Bay and adjoining North Andaman Sea intensify into a depression.  A warning message has been issued by the Bangladesh Meteorological Department on 12.10.2020 (Sunday) due to Cyclone Gati.

The depression over West-Central Bay and adjoining East-Central bay moved West-northwestwards over the same area and was centered at 06 AM today about 1086 kilometers southwest of Chattrogram port, 1046 KM southwest of Cox’s Bazar port, 941 Kilometers southwest of Mongla port and 951 Kilometers of Pyra port. It is further and moves in a west/northwest direction.

Maximum sustained wind speed within 44 Kilometers of the depression center is about 40 kilometer/hour rising to 50 kilometer/hour in guests/squalls. Sea will remain moderate near the depression center.

Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the depression in the East-Central Bay of Bengal has intensified into a cyclone. It is likely to intensify further and to hit the coast of Andhra Pradesh in India on Monday morning.

However, Bangladesh and especially the coastal regions has been suffering because of the recent cyclones. But this time it seems Cyclone Gati is headed towards Andhra Pradesh. If the track of cyclone is changed, the storm may hit the coastal areas of Bangladesh. Under the effect of the cyclone Gati, heavy rainfall may occur in country but it can be expected that it will not be seeing many severe damages.

Photo Courtesy: weather.com (Picture used only for representation)

Tahjeeb Hossain Chowdhury: After the Devastation of the Cyclone Amphan, it seems there is no breathing room from calamities. On the horizon, a new cyclone lurks in the distance, this time by the name given by Bangladesh as Nishorgo.

Amphan rampaged across Bangladeshi Coastal shores and West Bengal emanating from the Bay of Bengal. Although not as devastating as cyclones before, it still dealt with heavy casualties along with monetary damages. This time Nishorgo seems to be in a similar destructive manner from the Arab Sea. The regions in the crosshairs this time are the Indian Regions of Gujarat and Maharashtra which includes the Mumbai Metro Area as well. 

The coastal regions of Mumbai, Goa, Lakkha Islands, and also Gujarat area are predicted to be in the crash zone. Wind Speeds of Nishorgo is predicted to be around 110 kilometres per hour. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi observed the situation last Monday. Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah sat with Uddhav Thackeray, the Maharashtra Chief Minister to plan evasive actions. Prime Minister Modi has advised general people to move and act with utmost caution. 31 teams consisting of 45 members each are stationed in two portions of Maharashtra to handle disaster time responses. Mumbai area famous for its fisheries has a large number of citizens who rely on the sea to make up for their livelihoods. Ensuring their safety is also within the primary goals of safety measures.

With the Covid-19 situation at an escalating level, Nishorgo poses a lot of disturbances in the Pandemic time efforts. Gujarat and Maharashtra both have had very fragile states due to Coronavirus with 70,000 infected in Mumbai alone.

Bangladesh, as it stands, does not have much to worry about Nishorgo as it is unlikely that the cyclone will reach Bangladesh shores with full force. But, side effects of a strong storm has been seen with heavy showers and thunderstorms happening in many regions of Bangladesh, Although the storm will not damage Bangladesh, still we have to show solidarity with our neighboring nations in this trying time. Nishorgo is making its way to the shores and might be in sight of a collision course and in this time thoughts and prayers go to the citizens and first responders of this natural calamity.

(The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])

Photo Courtesy: Reuters

Ashik Rahman: The Cyclone Amphan has already hit the coastal areas Bangladesh. In Khulna, there are strong winds and very heavy rainfall due to Cyclone Amphan. The super Cyclone Amphan has beaten West Bengal and Bangladesh’s coastal area and seriously damaged parts of the world’s largest mangrove forest Sundarbans.

The Indian Met Office tweet which said Cyclone Amphan crossed West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts as a very severe cyclonic storm with speed of 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph across Sundarbans.

Due to Cyclone Amphan, five deaths were reported from the coastal districts. One of the wounded was a Bangladesh Red Crescent volunteer, found in different national media of Bangladesh. Also photos posted on Twitter by ANI showed evacuated trees and damage caused by the cyclone Amphan.

“West Bengal: Streets in Kolkata waterlogged, trees uprooted and houses damaged due to strong winds and heavy rain as #Amphan crossed West Bengal-Bangladesh coast between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) across Sunderbans, between 1530 and 1730 hrs today,” ANI News tweeted.

However, The Sundarbans have been shielding the people of the coastal belt of Bangladesh from various disasters including cyclones. But the fate of wildlife in the mangroves who face the destruction still remains uncertain condition.

Bangladesh is a nation blessed with many natural treasures and scenic beauties. But another aspect is the total opposite of those blessings. Bangladesh has been also cursed by many natural calamities including cyclones. Notably, Bangladesh has been registered as the country that every type of flood has visited throughout its history. In recent years, Cyclones have been a very worrying addition. Just the last year, the Hurricane Fani wreaked havoc on the coastal areas of Bangladesh and India. Moreover, the Cyclone Amphan is heading towards Bangladesh Coasts at a rapid rate and the Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar Area has been issued a level 9 and Mongla and Payra Area signal.

Because of the troubling history of Cyclones, it would be a good idea to take a look back at the 12 major Cyclones that had ravaged the Bangladeshi shores. So let’s have a look at the 12 cyclones below chronologically:

The Barishal Cyclone in 1965

The Barishal District has had the misfortune of dealing with Cyclones on a regular basis. This Cyclone is no exception. With a wind speed of 160 kmph, the unnamed cyclone continued its destruction along the shores. The casualty mark 19279 with 16456 in the Barishal region alone. The Cyclone was accompanied by a storm surge of 3.7-7.6 metre.

The December Cyclone in 1965

Similarly, another Cyclone again hit the country in the month of December. The wind speed was 217 kmph with a 2.3-3.6 meter storm surge. The victim count was much less than the previous cyclone with the number being 873.

The Cyclone of October in 1966

Another Cyclone that the coastal areas, hit the next year. The storm surge was 6-7 meters with a wind speed of 139 kmph. The cyclone claimed the lives of 859 people.

Bhola Cyclone in 1970

The most destructive cyclone to ever hit the Bangladeshi atlas was the Bhola Cyclone. It caused the deaths of at least 300,000 people in the low-lying region near the Bangladesh coastal lines.

The Cyclone of Urir Chor in 1985

Another devastating cyclone came in the form of Urir Chor Cyclone. It devastated over 94000 homes in the coastal region and 11069 people were killed. The Cyclone had a wind speed of 154 kmph and the Storm Surge was 3.0-4.6 meters.

Cyclone 04B in 1988

Another destructive cyclonic storm hit the coastal areas with a wind speed of 162 kmph along with a storm surge of 4.5 meters. The casualties were numbered at 5,708.

The Cyclone of April in 1991

Six years later, a tropical cyclone attacked the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh on April 29, 1991. At least 138,000 Victims were reported to be killed by the cyclone. The fiscal damages were said to be around $1.5 billion.

The Cyclone of May in 1997

After another 6 year gap, A cyclone with a wind speed of about 230 kmph hour hit the coastal areas on the mont of May 1997. The victim count this time was 155 people.

Cyclone Sidr in 2007

This Cyclone was one of the most destructive natural Cyclones in Bangladesh. The new generation would remember the accompanying flood closing down social activities for a while.   Sidr struck the country’s coastal belt wind speeds of up to 223 kmph. The Cyclone caused deaths of claimed 3,363 people.

Cyclone Aila in 2009

Cyclone Aila lashed into 15 offshore districts of south-western part of Bangladesh with a wind speed of about 120 kmph. About 150 lives were and 200,000 houses were damaged or destroyed in the aftermath.

Cyclone Mahasen in 2013

Cyclone Mahasen occurred near the Chittagong District with a wind speed of 85 km per hour. It caused the deaths of 17 people.

Cyclone Roanu in 2016

Cyclone Roanu affected the people and properties in a different way. Although it was a Cyclone with an 83 kmph wind speed, the landfall caused by it resulted in the killing of 26 people. Around 40,000 houses were destroyed in addition.

Cyclone Amphan in 2020

14 coastal districts experienced flood due to storm surges of Cyclone Amphan. There is a total of 4,115 hectares of land were used for cultivating mangoes with a target of 40,000 tonnes in the seven upazilas of Satkhira. Nonetheless, the cyclone Amphan spoiled at least 83 percent of mangoes.

Cyclone Yaas in 2021

It’s just heading towards Bangladesh. Click here to get live updates about Cyclone Yaas.

Ashik Rahman: Cyclone Amphan is going to hit Bangladesh coastal districts by Wednesday (May 20, 2020) evening. 14 coastal districts may experience flood due to storm surges of Cyclone Amphan.

Cyclone Amphan has categorized as a super cyclone, was downgraded to an “extremely severe cyclonic storm” by Tuesday afternoon as it lost wind speed while advancing towards coastal areas of Bangladesh.

The Cyclone Amphan has been projected to move in a north-north-easterly direction and cross the Bangladesh-India coast near the mangrove forest Sundarbans between the afternoon and the evening on Wednesday. Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) provides bulletin time to time about Cyclone Amphan.

In a virtual press briefing on Tuesday (May 19, 2020) evening, the state minister said the highest danger signal (signal no 10) would be shown at 6 AM Wednesday and no one will be able to go to Cyclone shelters after the highest danger signal is raised. It will happen due to there will be no volunteers outside to take them to the shelter house.

At 9 PM on Tuesday, the Cyclone Amphan was located 740km southwest of Chittagong port, 695km southwest of Cox’s Bazar port, 615km south-southwest of Mongla port and 610km south-southwest of Payra port. The maximum sustained wind speed within 85km of the cyclone center is about 200km per hour (kph), rising to 220kph in gusts and squalls.

All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay and deep sea have been advised to take shelter on urgent basis and will remain in shelter until further notice.

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has already allotted Tk. 50 lakh in cash, Tk. 31 lakh for baby food, Tk. 2.8 lakh for dairy feed, 3,100 tons of rice, and 42,000 packets of biscuits as assistance for 19 districts. All of them are allocated for coastal districts excluding Faridpur, Madaripur, Feni, and Sariatpur.

State minister Dr. Enamur Rahman told in the briefing that there are 12,078 cyclone shelters have been prepared to hold over 2 million people while maintaining health guidelines and social distancing. From remote areas and chars to shelters, the armed forces are helping to convey people.

Also, at the shelters, everyone will have to wear protective masks and maintain at least 1 Meter distance between each other due to Corona Pandemic.

Live Tracking – Cyclone Amphan

Photo Courtesy: CNN