Cyclone Aila yesterday hit the country's south-western coast killing 11 people and washing away several thousand homes as tidal surges powered by strong wind devastated the coastline. Four people in Bhola, three in Patuakhali, one in Barguna, two people and a child in Noakhali and Barisal died.Over 500 people were reported missing, mostly fishermen.Packing winds of up to 90km an hour, the storm roared into Khulna, Satkhira, Patuakhali, Bagerhat, Barisal, Barguna, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi Jessore and Bhola around 2:00pm yesterday.Thousands of people were made homeless as the storm caused tidal surge between six and 13 feet high, which battered river and flood-control embankments and dykes submerging many villages in Khulna, Satkhira, Patuakhali and Barisal.A large number of domestic animals and standing crops on farmland were lost in the tidal surges.Heavy rain raised water levels of rivers, thousands of thatched houses and shanties got destroyed, trees were uprooted and many unions went under knee-to-waist-deep water.River communication between the capital and all southern districts remained cut off since yesterday morning. Power supply to those districts also snapped in the evening.Ferry service between Paturia and Daulatdia was suspended around 3:00pm while ferry service in Mawa has been put on hold since Sunday evening.Local administration of districts and upazilas in the coastal belt started evacuating people to safer places and many took shelter at cyclone shelters, schools and colleges.The Met office asked Mongla Port to hoist Danger Signal-7.Bhola, Barisal, Patuakhali, Barguna, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira, Jessore and their offshore islands and chars will be under this signal, read a special Met office bulletin issued in the evening.It, however, advised Chittagong and Cox's Bazar ports to hoist Danger Signal-6.In Dhaka and elsewhere in the country, there were strong winds and heavy rainfall since yesterday morning.Our correspondent in Satkhira reports: Around one lakh people of 95 villages of Shyamnagar and Ashashuni upazilas became marooned as flood-protection embankments gave away in at least 25 places.Over 100 people were reported missing. Flood-protection dykes on the Kabodak, Khalpetua, Madar, Chulkuri and Kalia breached and swamped a number of villages. Many villages near the Sundarbans went under water as well.Many have taken shelter at different cyclone centres, schools and madrasas.Many rivers of the district were flowing eight to 13 feet higher than usual. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abdus Samad said a 33-member team of Bangladesh Navy has left for the cyclone-hit areas to conduct rescue operations. The team was facing difficulties due to the adverse weather.Red Crescent has also gone in with water purifying tablets and other relief materials. The DC has allocated 10 tonnes of rice and Tk 1 lakh for immediate relief.Our correspondent in Barisal reports: Aila snapped road and river communications in the district since Sunday night as rivers and their estuaries became very rough.High tides in rivers inundated many areas of the district causing considerable damage to livestock and properties. Rabbi, 7, of Char Laxmi Bardhan, drowned, said UNO of Bakerganj upazila.Crops on 25,000 acres of land were damaged, he claimed.Sources said four people died in Bhola.Our staff correspondent in Khulna reports: Aila struck Khulna city and Bagerhat around 2:30pm with wind speed of up to 100kmph.Over one lakh people of Dacope and Koira upazilas in Khulna and Mongla, Sharankhola and Morrelganj upazilas of Bagerhat were moved to cyclone shelters and safe places.Five ships were moved to safer places at the outer anchorage of Mongla Port. Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Kazi Atiur Rahman of Dacope said six out of nine unions went under waist-deep water that came in with the tidal surges. Over 50,000 people were rendered homeless in the upazila.Disaster control rooms have been opened up in upazilas of Khulna and Bagerhat where volunteers, officials of some non-government organisations and officials of Relief and Rehabilitation Department have been kept on standby to deal with the aftermath, said the deputy commissioners of the two districts.Our correspondent in Patuakhali reports: Huge areas of Patuakhali and Barguna went under eight to 10 feet of seawater.Three people died in the storm in Patuakhali alone and another one in Barguna. Several kilometres of flood-control dykes in Golachipa, Kalapara and Patuakhali Sadar was washed away by the tidal surges.Our Cox's Bazar correspondent reports: Twenty-one fishing trawlers went missing with 400 fishermen onboard. Acting Mayor of Cox's Bazar Municipality Sarwar Kamal said around 2,000 houses were flooded by tidal waves.
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন