Bangladesh: Cyclone Hamoon Kills 3, More Than 275,000 Stay In Emergency Shelters

(Photo : Getty Images/TANBIR MIRAJ)

As Cyclone Hamoon made landfall on Bangladesh's southeastern coast, three people were killed, and over 275,000 people were forced to seek refuge in emergency shelters.

Hamoon is the most recent in a string of big storms to batter Bangladesh's coastal districts.

This low-lying South Asian country is experiencing an increase in the frequency of severe weather occurrences, which climate scientists normally blame on the climate crisis.

Onslaught Of Cyclone Hamoon

Cyclone Hamoon made landfall in the coastal districts of Chittagong and Cox's Bazar early Wednesday morning, packing winds of up to 104 kph.

The cyclone is predicted to move further inland and eventually weaken.

It was reported that Hamoon has taken a devastating toll on Cox's Bazar, catching inhabitants off guard due to the cyclonic storm's unexpected arrival.

"We evacuated 273,352 people to cyclone shelters," said Senior official Kamrul Hasan, who is the secretary of the disaster management ministry.

At least 10 people were also reported injured and are being treated in hospitals, but some reports said the injured people were nearly 20.

Hamoon caused considerable devastation to the areas of Samitipara, Fadnar Dale, and Nazirertek.

Cyclone Mocha struck Bangladesh in May, becoming the most powerful storm to hit the country since the disastrous Cyclone Sidr in November 2007.

Sidr killed nearly 3,000 people and caused billions of dollars in property damage.

Preparation For The Storm

The government has taken the required measures to deal with the storm's potential effects. Cyclone shelters were opened, and medical teams were stationed along the coast.

The fire department, police, coast guard, navy, and volunteers have been requested to be on standby for emergency response in the districts of Khulna, Bagerhat, Barguna, Patuakhali, and Chattogram.

The Bangladesh Interior Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has halted all vessel operations on the interior waterways. According to officials, the order will remain in effect until further notice.

Chattogram and Cox's Bazar maritime ports have been instructed to hoist danger signal 7, while Payra and Mongla ports have been advised to hoist danger signal 5.

All fishing boats and trawlers in the north bay and deep sea have been told to stay put until further notice.

Earlier, the authorities ordered residents of ten coastal areas to relocate to shelters by 8:00 p.m. yesterday. Patuakhali, Barishal, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Barguna, Chattogram, Feni, Noakhali, Laxmipur, and Chandpur are the districts.

"Around 1.5 million people from these districts will be taken to shelter centres," said Enamur Rahman, state minister for disaster management and relief, after a meeting on cyclone preparedness at the Secretariat.

The residents of Cox's Bazar's St. Martin's Island have been asked to take safe refuge, and 64 shelters have been prepared with enough dry food, according to Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer Adnan Chowdhury.

He stated that some 1,400 people were taken back to Teknaf from the island on three tourist ships, and that 150 of them elected to stay.

All water vessel operations on the Teknaf-St. Martin's Island route have been halted until further notice.

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