Thousands marooned, embankments collapse, over 100 injured, power supply disrupted
Twenty-Four people were killed, several hundred were injured, several hundred thousand people were marooned and several hundred thousand houses and some embankments collapsed or damaged in water surge, strong winds and heavy downpour unleashed by Cyclone Roanu that crossed Bangladesh coastlines on Saturday making landfall.
At least nine people — five in Chittagong and four in Bhola — went missing as the storm struck the southern coastal areas of Barisal and Chittagong with a wind speed of 62-88 kilometres per hour and made the landfall near Chittagong at about 1:30pm.
The cycle took about five hours to complete the crossing with a wind speed of 60-80 kilometres per hour and turned into a land depression in the evening.
As the storm crossed Chittagong coastline, the Met office lowered down the danger signal-7 to cautionary signal-3 in all the coastal areas.
Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent examinations scheduled for today across the country were deferred to May 27 due to the storm. The authorities on Saturday evening lifted ban on water transports across the country.
‘The cyclonic storm ‘Roanu’ moved northeastwards further and crossed Barisal-Chittagong coast near Chittagong at about 05:00pm and weakened into a land depression by giving precipitation,’ Met office bulletin said at 8:00pm.
Of the dead, 13 were killed in Chittagong, three each in Noakhali, Bhola and Cox’s bazaar, and one each in Patuakhali and Lakshmipur districts. A mother and her young child were killed after landslide caused by heavy rains buried their hillside home at Sitakunda in Chittagong.
Many trees and electric poles were uprooted, ponds and fish enclosures were washed away and several hundred thousand people were marooned as their areas were flooded because of the storms in different coastal districts. Power supply to different coastal areas, including Chittagong city and its different upazilas, Bagerhat and Noakhali remained suspended as a number of electric poles were uprooted there and electric wires were damaged by the storm, reported agencies.
Several hundred thousand people got marooned as tidal surge hit the low-lying areas caused collapse if embankments at places. Loading and unloading activities in the ports remained suspended due to the inclement weather.
The cyclone forced several hundred thousand people to flee their homes. Some people took shelters to cyclone shelters following a warning that an expected storm surge of up to 1.5 metres could flood villages and towns along the coast.
Local people said that the cyclonic storm and surges destroyed a number of embankments on the shorelines stretching from the south-western to south-eastern coastlines inundating neighbourhoods.
Several embankments meant for protecting the coastline from surges were washed away by the cyclone inundating localities in coastal areas particularly at Hatia, Anwara and Banskhali in Chittagong.
Ceaseless rains coupled with gusty winds were reported from across the country including Dhaka since early Friday. Rains, caused by cyclone ‘Roanu’, swamped many parts of the capital on Saturday, living the city life in disarray.
New Age correspondent in Chittagong reported that Chittagong deputy commissioner Mesbah Uddin confirmed that at least 11 people were killed, more than one lakh people were marooned, vast areas were inundated and scores lost shelters as the cyclone Roanu hit Chittagong coast. He said that about 2.5 lakh houses were damaged and over one lakh people were marooned while people would face loss of livestock and poultry birds worth about Tk 100 crore.
Operational activities of Chittagong seaport remained suspended from 8:00am on Saturday and at Shah Amanat International Airport remained suspended from 10:30pm on Friday.
Power supply connections at most parts of the port city were snapped at about 11:00am on Saturday and could not be restored until evening.
Tidal surge badly damaged embankment at Patenga, washed away many shops of Patenga sea beach market and asphalts of Naval Academy road and uprooted many trees in the port city.
At Banshkhali upazila, at least nine people including six children were killed as the tidal surge flooded vast areas of Chanua, Khankhanabad and Gandamara unions and damaged embankments and several thousand houses.
Banskhali upazila nirbahi officer Mohammad Shamsuzzaman confirmed the death of seven people but said that they could not collect details of the deceased.
Chittagong deputy commissioner Mesbah Uddin said that more than 40,000 people were given shelters in the cyclone shelters at places.
He said that the storm surge badly damaged many parts of embankments at Sitakunda, Mirsarai, Anwara, Banskhali and island Sandwip and flooded vast areas of the upazilas.
At Sitakunda, storm surge accompanied by heavy rainfall flooded vast areas at Bansbaria leaving at least 20,000 people marooned and triggering landslide at Jangal Salimpur.
Middle-aged woman Kajal Begum and her 10-year-old son Belal Hossain died on the spot when a chunk of mud fell on their house from adjacent hill at about 10:00am.
A 12-year-old boy Rakib was killed at Sholoshahor in Chittagong as some part of rooftop structure of a building fell on him at about 11:00am.
Anwara upazila nirbahi officer Mohammad Shaiful Islam said that tidal surge badly damaged embankment and inundated vast areas of Roypur and Juidandi unions.
Tidal surge caused massive damage to different parts of embankments at island Sandwip leaving vast areas of Rahmatpur, Kalapania, Sarikait and Mogdhara unions flooded.
In Cox’s Bazar, tidal surge caused huge damage to 28 kilometres of embankments at Kutubdia, Maheskhali, Pekua, Teknaf and Cox’s Bazar municipal areas and flooded vast areas.
Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner Md Ali Hossain said at least two people were killed and 10 others were injured as the cyclone hit the island upazila Kutubdia.
The deceased were identified as Md Iqbal, 25, and Fazlul Haque, 55.
Ali Hossain said they had taken at least 70,000 people to 127 cyclone shelters from the flooded areas.
The united news of Bangladesh reported that in Noakhali, floating bodies of an unidentified woman and a child were recovered from Boyrar Char at Hatiya upazila, said upazila nirbahi officer Abu Hasnat. Besides, the floating body of another unidentified woman was recovered at Jahajmara of the upazila.
In Bhola, two people –– Akram, a Class VI student, and Rekha, 35, –– were killed at Shashiganj Bazar at Tajumuddin upazila as their houses collapsed due to strong winds early Saturday, said upazila chairman Wahidullah Jasim.
In Patuakhali, Nayan Bibi, 52, was killed during storms at Uttar Charlakshmi village of Dasmina upazila.
In Lakshmipur, Anwar Ullah of Uttar Tewariganj of Sadar upazila died as a tree fell on him during the storm at about 11:00am.
Around 6,000 people in Bandar Tila and Namar Char and some other areas near Nijhum Dwip under Hatiya upazila were marooned due to 4-5 feet storm surge.
Around 5,000 families were marooned at Char Ishwar, Tomuruddin, Afajia, Nalchira, Jahajmara unions as water entered the areas through cracks in dams, said Hatiya upazila nirbahi officer Abu Hasnat Mohammad Moinuudin.
Around 10,000 people at Kukri Mukri union of Charfashion upazila were marooned as tidal surge hit the areas, said union chairman Abul Hashem.
At Kalapara and Galachipa upazilas, several thousand people got marooned as tidal surge hit the low-lying areas, officials said.
In Bagerhat, a 500-metre long embankment at Tathalbari of Sarankhola upazila collapsed, leaving several hundred people marooned.
Sarankhola upazila nirbahi officer Mohammad Atul Mandal said the embankment in the morning following heavy rains.
Around 12,000 people at Sharankhola, Mongla, Rampal and Morrelganj upazilas were taken to safe places, said Bagerhat deputy commissioner Jahangir Alam.
Source: New Age
