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Severest cyclone hits coasts

By Staff Correspondent
***
Highlights
★ Seven million people affected
★ Maxinnun windspeed 235 kilometres per hour
★ Districts affected 12
★ Upazilas affected 24
★ Storm surges breach embankments
★ Manpura submerged
★ Over three lakh given shelter
★ Colossal loss of property
★ One killed in Galachipa
★ Power supply disrupted in coastal belt
★ Coastal upazilas cut off from district headquarters as telecommunication snapped.
***
The severe cyclonic storm formed in the Bay of Bengal crossed the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar coasts near the Meghna estuaty at midnight last night leaving a trial of destruction, affecting at least seven million people.
The cyclone with a core of hurricane speed winds of upto 210 kilometres rising to 235 kilometres in gusts and squalls - battered the entire coastline from Satkhira to Tcknaf razing houses, uprooting trees, and whipping up storm surges.
Under the pherlpheral effect of the cyclonic storm the coastal districts in Khulna zone started experiencing a storm accompanied with a downpour from the afternoon. By the evening the coastal districts in Chittagong zone were affected.
The cyclonic storm uprooted electricity and telephone poles disrupting supply of electricity in the entire coastal belt. By midnight telecommunications of the coastal upazilas with respective district headquarters was snapped.
Hamlduzzaman Khan Chowdhury. Director. Bangladesh Meteorological Department told The Dally Star that the cyclone was the severest in 20 years
He said that although all the coastal districts were affected the real brunt of the cyclone had been borne by islands like Hatlya, Sandwlp. Kutubdla. Moheshkhali. Patuakhali, and the low-lying areas of Chittagong. Fenl. Cox's Bazar
and Noakhall.
The Deputy Director of Meteorological Department Azizul Hussain observed that never before had a cyclone af fected the whole, coastal belt of Bangladesh.
The cyclone had a diameter of about 300 kilometres even though the maximum fury of its winds was felt within 74 kilometres of Its centre.
The cyclonic storm had developed from a depression which was detected on April 24 beyond the southern edge of the Bay of Bengal. Initially it
moved tn a westerly direction. Then it moved northwards before becoming stationary over west central Bay and adjoining east central Bay on April 26. The following day it started moving north - northeast-
The maritime ports of Chittagong. Cox's Bazar and Mongla were asked to hoist great danger signals 10. 9 and 8 respectively.
Riverine ports in fourteen districts of Chittagong. Cox’s Bazar. Noakhall, Fenl. Laksmlpur, Chandpur. Bhola, Patuakhali. Barisal. Barguna. Pirojpur, Bagerhat. Khulna and Satkhira were asked to hoist great danger signal number
The Cyclone Preparedness Programme CPP started alerting administrations and people of 24 coastal districts from Sunday. Over 20.000 volunteers of the Programme transmitted messages using sirens, microphones and megaphones advising people living in low-lying areas to move to cyclone shelters.
The Director of the Programme Emdad Hossain and volunteers of the Programme succeeded in Taking 3.2 lakh coastal people to about 250 cyclone shelters.
Some people were also taken to privately owned pucca buildings in upazlla headquarters.
He said that the CPP also maintained contact with 26 off-shore Islands through recently installed Very High Frequency (VHF) wireless communications. In some ar-eas like Pathargata trawlers were used to evacuate people to safety
The Bhoia district control room told The Dally Star that tidal surge overflowed a ten-feet coastal embankment in Manpura upazila
People living inside the embankment started leaving the place following this
In Moheshkhall. the coastal embankment was breached by the fury of storm surge in Dhalghat union. About 600 families who lived in thatched houses on the embankment became shelterless
The upazila of Tajumuddtn. some areas of Char Fashon. Char Zahiruddln. Goal Char, and Char Kukri Mukri were severely affected by the cyclone and Its accompanying storm surge.
The Manpura upazila has been submerged by the surge. A large number of schools and dwellings have been damaged, according to preliminary reports.
In Patuakhall the worst hit areas are Char Gangat Char Biswas. Char Montaj. Char Kajal and Char Pukur.
One person was reported killed In Galachipa following a chest Injury he received during the storm. The district control room said they knew about the injury of a man
Patuakhall district administration sources said they could not give details about the extent of damage because they could not go out due to the storm.
Met employees at the Khepupara Radar Station reported at around 8 pm Monday that they could not go outside
to observe the direction and the speed of wind They said they saw the tin-rooi of a school house blown away
The Cox's Bazar airport and its adjoining areas were sub merged in the surge. About 10.000 people were earlier shifted to cyclone shelters and other safer places Some 42 ships including three foreigp vessels were stranded between Chittagong Port and Its outer anchorage
Twenty thousand people of Sandwip were taken to cyclone shelters None could be evacuated from Urtrchar as the situation deteriorated rapidly. Urtrchar was the worst hit by the May 24 cyclone of 1985.
In Sonagazl and Dagonbhuiyan upazilas of Feni district there was extensive damage of property.
The Ministiy of Relief and Rehabilitation announced allocation of cash and other relief materials including rice and wheat for 24 upazilas in 12 coastal districts for people affected by the cyclone and the storm surges.
The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has taken preparations for relief opera-tions In the affected areas
Cyclone Preparedness Programme sources said control rooms have been opened in the coastal upazilas.
The district control room of Noakhali said the situation in Noakhall Sad ar. Hatlya and Companyganj was alarming.
In Pirojpur people living in outlying Majerchar were evacuated.