Thousands rushed to safety in Bhola from storm shelter-less shoals with Amphan lurking

With the Cyclone Amphan threatening devastation along the coastlines of Bangladesh, about 10,000 people are being evacuated to safety in Bhola on trawlers from the shoals lacking storm shelters.

Dark clouds have been hovering over the district since Tuesday morning with drizzles and light showers in some areas.

The high tides in the Bay of Bengal whipped up by the approaching cyclone led to more water flowing into the Meghna River adjacent to Bhola.

A total of 21 shoals there are inhabited but two of those have no cyclone shelters, Dhal Char of Char Fasson, inhabited by approximately 8,000 people and Char Shamsuddin of Manpura with around 2,500 people, said Bhola Deputy Commissioner Md Masud Alam Siddique.

Some 2,500 people from Char Shamsuddin have been ferried to the district’s mainland by Tuesday evening, he said, adding that another 50 trawlers are hauling people to the mainland from Dhal Char.

Authorities after raising the Danger Signal No.6 moved about 76,000 people into storm shelters in Bhola, where a total of 1,104 shelters are in operation with an additional 400 set up to maintain social distancing measures amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The district carries the grim memories of the 1970 devastation of Bhola Cyclone, which killed an estimated half a million people in one of the deadliest storms in world history.

The shelters have been supplied with dry foods for the evacuees while 92 emergency medical teams have been formed, said Aqib Osman, acting executive magistrate at deputy commissioner’s office.