Bangladesh, India evacuating millions as super cyclone bears down on coast

Authorities in Bangladesh and eastern India are scrambling to move millions of villagers away from coasts expected to suffer widespread damage from a super cyclone, a task complicated by the battle against the coronavirus.

Bangladesh began efforts to move about 2.2 million people to storm shelters to avoid casualties as Cyclone Amphan bears down on the coastline.

People threatened by the cyclone in the coastal districts will be evacuated to safety by 8pm Tuesday, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman said earlier in the day. Storm alerts will be raised to the maximum level at 6 am Wednesday.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall at 6pm Wednesday, the Bangladesh minister said at a virtual media briefing on Tuesday.

The storm may cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coast near the Sundarbans, according to meteorologists.

The world’s largest mangrove forest had barred storms from wreaking heavy damage by taking the havocs upon itself in recent years.

Bangladesh had suspended all river transports, including ferry services.

Besides the coastal districts, capital Dhaka started experiencing rainfalls in the evening under the influence of the storm after days of sizzling summer weather that was made worse by water vapour in the air fed by the storm.

The cyclone came at a time when Bangladesh like most other countries is grappling with surging coronavirus cases and deaths.

The sea was rough at Patenga beach in Chattogram on Tuesday under the influence of super cyclone Amphan. Photo: Suman Babu

The death toll from the COVID-19 rose to 370 after 21 new fatalities were registered in a daily count on Tuesday. Another 1,251 people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the caseload to 25,121, according to government data.

Describing the severe cyclonic storm as a new danger amid the coronavirus outbreak, Rahman said: “Bangladesh is viewed as ‘a role model’ when it comes to calamity management.”

Neighbouring India faces one of its biggest storms in about a decade: Cyclone Amphan is equivalent to a hurricane of category 5.

"We have just about six hours left to evacuate people from their homes and we also have to maintain social distancing norms," a disaster management official, SG Rai, told Reuters.

"The cyclone could wash away thousands of huts and standing crops."

Authorities in the states of Odisha and West Bengal were moving families to more than 1,000 shelters and hastily repurposing quarantine facilities soon after easing the world's biggest lockdown against the virus, which has infected more than 100,000 and killed 3,163.

Railway officials diverted away from the cyclone's path trains carrying thousands of migrant workers to eastern states from the capital, New Delhi.

The cyclone season usually runs from April to December, with severe storms forcing evacuations of tens of thousands, causing widespread death and damage to crops and property, both in India and Bangladesh.

India, with a coastline of 7,516 km (4,670 miles), gets hit by more than a tenth of all the world's tropical cyclones, the bulk of them hitting its eastern coast around the Bay of Bengal.

In Bangladesh, the maritime ports have halted loading and unloading goods as the ships moved away from the docks for safety. Delivering offloaded goods continued.

Fishermen pulling boats to safety at Patenga beach in Chattogram on Tuesday as super cyclone Amphan approaches the coasts. Photo: Suman Babu

The storm over northwest Bay was centred at about 500-600 km from the ports at 3am on Wednesday, Bangladesh Meteorological Department said.

Maximum sustained wind speed within 85 km of the cyclone centre was about 200 kph rising to 220 kph in gusts or squalls. Sea will remain very high near the cyclone centre.

The coastal districts and their offshore islands and shoals were under the danger signals as the low-lying areas are likely to be inundated by 5 to 10 feet storm surge above normal tide.

They may also experience wind speed of up to 140-160 kph in gusts or squalls with heavy to very heavy rainfalls during the passage of the cyclone.

The rain warning also triggered fears of landslide in the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, where more than 1 million refugees live in muddy, wooden shacks on hills.

The Bangladesh Army said a team of experts with experience in tackling landslides was ready to be deployed at the camps to save the forcefully displaced nationals of Myanmar.

The Navy has relocated the Rohingya refugees, who had recently been taken to Bhasan Char island, to mainland storm shelters.

The Army, Navy and Air Force were ready to respond to all emergencies and conduct rescue, relief and medical operations under the Armed Forces Division in coordination with civil administrations, the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate said.

Ships, aircraft, helicopters, medical teams, relief materials and other equipment were at the ready for the operations, it added.