Local administrations in Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts have evacuated 4 lakh people until Wednesday noon, just a few hours ahead of Super Cyclone Amphan’s landfall.

“We’ve evacuated 4 lakh people in 3,007 shelters in Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts until Wednesday noon,” said Hossain Ali Khandaker, additional divisional commissioner, Khulna Divisional control room.

“We had planned to evacuate 17 lakh people to shelters but people are reluctant about coming to shelters leaving behind their belongings,” he added.

Khandaker also said they have also evacuated 40,000 livestock to shelters besides people in the three districts.

Meanwhile, 26,000 volunteers have been working in the evacuation process while 303 medical teams are ready here to provide any emergency service, he added.

The super cyclone is likely to make a landfall on the coast of Bangladesh this afternoon or evening, with sustained wind speed of about 200 kph rising to 220 kph in gusts or squalls.

The maritime ports of Mongla and Payra have been advised to hoist great danger signal number 10 while Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar have been advised to hoist great danger signal number 9.

At 9am on Wednesday, the cyclone centred about 525 km southwest off Chattogram port, 515 km southwest off Cox’s Bazar port, 345 km southwest off Mongla port and 370 km southwest off Payra port.

The coastal districts of Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jhalakati, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Laxmipur, Chandpur and their offshore islands and chars will come under great danger signal number No 10.

The low-lying coastal districts of Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jhalakati, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Laxmipur, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni, Chattogram and their offshore islands and chars are likely to be inundated by a storm surge of 10-15 feet height above normal astronomical tide under the influence of super cyclone.