Bangladesh evacuates 300,000 people as cyclone ‘Komen’ approaches

The government has evacuated about 300,000 people from the coastal areas ahead of the possible landfall of cyclone ‘Komen’ on Thursday night.

The storm is now about 50 kilometres from the Chittagong Port with a wind speed between 70 and 90kph, the Meteorological Department says.

It will move further north before making landfall, Met office’s Director Md Shah Alam told reporters on Thursday.

“It will move in the west-northwest direction and cause rain before gradually losing power,” he added.

Tidal waves, higher than five feet, may inundate the low-lying areas, the Met office has forecast.

Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar ports are flashing danger signal number 7 while Mongla and Payra ports have hoisted danger signal 5.

Apart from Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar, the Met office also advised danger signal 7 for Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Bhola and their offshore islands and chars.

For seaports, danger signal 7 implies that a storm, with winds between 62 kph and 88 kph, of slight or moderate intensity may cross over or near them and will result to severe weather.

Coastal districts of Barguna, Patuakhali, Barisal, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagherhat, Khulna, Satkhira and their offshore islands and chars were advised to hoist danger signal No. 5.

Signal five implies that the port will experience severe weather from a storm of slight to moderate intensity, with wind speed between 62 and 88kph.

The government has stocked shelters with supplies, deployed disaster response forces and evacuated thousands of people in coastal areas.

About 300,000 people from vulnerable areas have been moved to 288 cyclone shelters, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya said.

Thirteen districts in the possible path of the cyclone have been covered by such evacuation, he added.

“Cyclones during the monsoon are usually not severe,” Director Alam said. “Komen is a moderate cyclone.”

He said there would be gusty winds in areas within two kilometres of the cyclone’s path.

But the storm is more intense on its right side and areas within 100km of its centre may suffer much damage.

Alam said that was why the Saint Martin’s Island was hit hard by the cyclone on Wednesday midnight.

At least three people have been killed, one each in Saint Martin’s, Patuakhali and Bhola, after being hit by trees, uprooted by the storm.

Heavy winds induced by cyclone 'Komen' uproot trees

Saint Martin’s Union Parishad Chairman Nurul Amin told bdnews24.com the storm uprooted hundreds of trees and damaged over a hundred houses.

It hit Teknaf hard as well. Zafar Alam, the Upazila chairman, said over 300 houses in the area were either partially or fully damaged with at least 20 people injured.

Cox’s Bazar district administration evacuated people of 28 unions and took them to shelters.

Local administrations in Chittagong, Bhola, Jhalakathi, Lakshmipur and other coastal areas said they were alerting people and were prepared for post-cyclone rescue and relief.

Minister Maya said the government was prepared.

“I believe there won’t be much damage,” he said.