Cyclone
Cyclone Midhili: Body of missing youth recovered from Ctg’s Sitakunda
The body of a youth, who went missing on Friday after a lighter vessel loaded with stones sank in the sea at Nangalkot in Cumilla due to Cyclone "Midhili", was recovered from the sea coast in Chattogram's Sitakunda on Saturday.
2 motorcyclists killed in Chattogram road crash
The river police recovered the body of Md. Emdadul Haque,22, from the Kumira area of the upazila this morning.
Locals said they spotted the body floating in the sea coast and informed police.
609 shelters ready in Chattogram ahead of cyclone 'Midhili'
Mohammad Nashir, inspector of Kumira River Police, said that upon being informed, they recovered the body from the spot.
On November 17, the lighter vessel carrying stones capsized in the sea at Cumilla's Nangalkot area due to the impact of cyclone "Midhili".
Two trucks set on fire in Dhaka, Chattogram
Though all of the people boarding on thevessel managed to swim to safety, Emdadul went missing.
Cyclone Midhili: Launch movement resumes in Barishal
Launch services beteween Barishal and other parts of Bangladesh resumed on Saturday (November 18, 2023) morning after 24 hours of suspension due to the cyclonic storm Midhili.
Abdur Razzaque, river port official of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), said the operation of launches resumed at 7 am after the affect of cyclone Midhili ended.
Barishal Engineering College students say BCL activists beat them up for not attending ‘political programme’
Earlier, BIWTA suspended operations of all types of river vessels from 10:00 am on Friday due to inclement weather caused by the cyclone.
Meanwhile, the roads in different parts of Barishal city have been inundated due to the rainfall triggered by the cyclonic.
JCD leader, another arrested in Barishal for ‘planning sabotage’
The residents of Battala, Srinath Chatarjee Lane and Bogura Road have been trapped in 2-feet of water since the cyclone hit the country’s coastal areas.
Khokon Serniabat takes charge as Barishal mayor
Cyclone Midhili: Fish worth Tk 1 crore damaged due to rain
Fish worth Tk one crore, kept under the open sky for drying, at Dublar Char in the Sundarbans were damaged due to the incessant rain triggered by the cyclonic storm ‘Midhili’.
Kamal Uddin Ahmed, chairman of Dubla Fishermen’s Group, said 60,000 quintals (1 quintal = 100 kg) of fish have been damaged.
Harun-or-Rashid, officer of Bagerhat-Mongla Weather Observatory Centre, said the Met office recorded 91 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, from 6 pm Thursday till 6 pm Friday, in Bagerhat.
Tiger footprints cause panic in Bagerhat locality
A total of 10,000 fishermen from the coastal areas gathered at Dublar Char, popularly known as “Shutki Polli” or Dried Fish Village, as the dried fish processing season kicked off on November 3.
Every year, several thousand fishermen and hired hands flock to the area to catch fish and make shutki (dried fish) in Shelar Char, Narikelbaria, Majherkella and Alorkol of Sharankhola range of the East zone of Sundarbans.
The dried fish processing will continue till March, next year.
Dublar Char experienced intermittent rainfall for the past couple of days due to the depression in the Bay of Bengal.
Motorbike-private car collision leaves 2 dead in Bagerhat
Frustration gripped the fishermen at Dublar Char as fish worth Tk one crore were damaged due to the rain.
Khalilur Rahman, in-charge of Dublar Char forest camp, said the authorities concerned informed the fishermen about the inclement weather through loudspeaker.
The stench of rotten fish is prevailing in the area, affecting the environment and health of the fishermen and others living on the char, he said.
“It is difficult for the fishermen to stay in the strong stench. It would be better to dump the fish damaged due to the rain,” said Kamal Uddin, chairman of Dubla Fishermen’s Group.
446 shelters prepared in Bagerhat
Muhammad Nurul Karim, Divisional Forest Officer of Sundarbans East Zone, said the extent of the losses caused by the rain could not be ascertained yet.
The periphery of the cyclonic storm Midhili crossed the Mongla-Payra coast near Khepupara as of Friday noon, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).
Cyclone Midhili completed crossing the coast by the evening, it said.
609 shelters ready in Chattogram ahead of cyclone 'Midhili'
Chattogram district administration has prepared 609 cyclone shelters to deal with cyclone 'Midhili' over the Bay of Bengal.
Deputy Commissioner Abul Bashar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman provided the information at an emergency preparedness meeting held on Thursday night.
The DC confirmed the readiness of 609 cyclone shelters to tackle the approaching cyclone.
Two trucks set on fire in Dhaka, Chattogram
Among these, 116 are situated within Chattogram city, while 493 are spread across the Chattogram district.
Moreover, directives have been issued to upazila nirbahi officers and district secondary and primary education officers to identify and prepare various educational institutions as additional shelter facilities, said the deputy commissioner.
On the instructions of the deputy commissioner, the district relief and rehabilitation officer presented the relief situation in the meeting.
The district relief and rehabilitation officers said the district administration currently possesses cash amounting to Tk 22.30 lakh for relief purposes, 244 metric tons of rice, Tk 6.80 lakh for cattle feed, Tk 6.80 lakh for baby food, 472 bags of dry food, 1000 blankets, and 47 thousand ORsaline in stock.
2 killed as covered van rams into two vehicles in Chattogram
The meeting was attended by heads of various district-level government departments, representatives of city corporations, the upazila chairman's office, the upazila nirbahi officers, the assistant commissioner (land), upazila project implementation officer, various NGOs, media workers, and activists of voluntary organizations.
The deputy commissioner has directed to open control rooms in emergency service providers, especially hospitals, electricity, gas, water and city corporations, organize emergency meetings of disaster management committees at the upazila level, and take the activities of all departments as per their respective SOP.
Woman's body found hanging in Chattogram
Apart from this, various NGOs, voluntary organisations, media have been instructed to participate in disaster management, to continue the awareness activities in the coastal and mountainous areas, to contact the district relief and rehabilitation officer and the district administration's control room number in case of any emergency.
The deputy commissioner said all sorts of preparations have been made to address any potential disaster.
Cyclone Hamoon: Maritime ports asked to lower cautionary signal
Maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to lower the cautionary signal raised due to Cyclone Hamoon.
Read : 1 dies as Cyclone Hamoon batters Cox's Bazar, Chattogram
Squally weather is unlikely over the maritime ports, north Bay and adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh, said a latest bulletin of the Met office.
Read : Body recovered from Marine Drive road in Cox's Bazar
All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay and adjoining area have been advised to proceed with caution till this evening.
Read : Railway Minister to inspect Dohazari-Cox's Bazar line before inauguration
The cyclonic storm ‘Hamoon’, over northeast Bay and adjoining area, moved northwestward and crossed the coast at 1 am today, weakening into a land deep depression near Satkania in Chattogram, said a latest bulletin of the Met office.
India, Pakistani coasts on high alert a day before Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make landfall
The coastal regions of India and Pakistan were on high alert Wednesday with tens of thousands being evacuated a day before Cyclone Biparjoy was expected to make landfall.
The India Meteorological Department said the cyclone was now packing maximum sustained winds of up to 145 kilometers per hour (90 mph). It is projected to make landfall near Jakhau port in the Kutch district of India's Gujarat state on Thursday.
Residents living within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the coast in Gujarat were evacuated, and those living within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) may also have to move out, officials have said.
Also Read: India, Pakistan deploy rescuers and plan evacuations ahead of severe cyclone
Four people have been killed so far in incidents related to the cyclone, including three boys who drowned off Mumbai's coast and a woman who was killed due to an accident caused by strong winds in Gujarat. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing to find one more person who drowned in the seas off Mumbai.
Experts say climate change is leading to an increase in cyclones in the Arabian Sea region, making preparations for natural disasters all the more urgent.
At a relief camp for displaced people in the Pakistani village of Gharo in Sindh province, wage laborer Allah Noor, 59, said soldiers came and evacuated them amid a strong windstorm.
Also Read: India, Pakistan brace for severe cyclone, deploy rescuers to coastal regions
In Kutch, where the cyclone was expected to hit land, 57-year-old boat owner and businessman Adam Karim Dhobi said this was the worst storm he'd seen since 1998.
"We have parked our boats in safe places," Dhobi said. "We are praying to God that this cyclone doesn't cause too much damage here."
The Press Trust of India news agency said nearly 40,000 people have been evacuated to relief camps in Gujarat.
Nikhil Mudholkar from the National Disaster Response Force who was overseeing relief operations in Devbhoomi Dwarka district along Gujarat's coast, said they were fully prepared and were now in waiting mode.
Also Read: Heavy rains in northwest Pakistan leave 25 dead, 145 injured
"We have deployed 23 teams and have moved everyone living near the coast to safer grounds," Mudholkar added. "Windspeeds have picked up now and rains have started too."
In Pakistan, despite strong winds and rain, authorities said all people from vulnerable areas have been moved to safer places in the southern districts, including Thatta, Keti Bandar, Sajawal and Badin — regions that only last summer were affected by the devastating floods that displaced thousands.
For many there, it ws a second displacement in less than a year. People packed up as many of their belongings they could into their cars and left — either on their own or under troop escort — heading to relief camps set up inside government buildings and schools.
At the Gharo relief camp, 80-year-old Bayan Bibi said there was no medicine for the sick available at the camp.
On Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered the evacuations from risk areas and asked local authorities to arrange food, shelter and medical facilities for the displaced.
Pakistan's Climate Minister Sherry Rehman urged people not to panic but work with the authorities, promising they would be taken to safer places.
The cyclone has "extensive damaging potential" and is likely to impact Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts the most, India's IMD has said.
Fishing activities have been suspended in both countries until June 16. All ports in the region including the major ports of Kandla and Mundra have been shut. Dozens of trains and flights that were scheduled to ply in this region have been diverted or canceled.
Also Tuesday, India's home minister Amit Shah held an emergency meeting with senior officials to review preparedness and announced a budget of $972 million for disaster management.
A recent study shows that the Arabian Sea has warmed up by almost 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) since March this year, making conditions favorable for severe cyclones, he said.
"The oceans have become warmer already on account of climate change," Raghu Murtugudde, an Earth system scientist at the University of Maryland said.
Another study, in 2021, found that the frequency, duration and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea had increased significantly between 1982 and 2019, he said.
Cyclone Tauktae in 2021 was the last severe cyclone that made landfall in the same region. It claimed 174 lives, a relatively low figure thanks to extensive preparations ahead of the cyclone.
In 1998, a cyclone that hit Gujarat state claimed more than 1,000 lives and caused excessive damage. A cyclone that hit Sindh province and the city of Karachi in 1965 killed more than 10,000 people.
Japan provides $500,000 to Cyclone-affected Rohingyas, host communities through IOM
The government of Japan has decided to provide the International Organization for Migration (IOM) with USD 0.5 million assistance in response to the super Cyclone Mocha which made landfall on 14 May and hit Rohingya and host communities in Cox’s Bazar.
The heavy rains caused damage in both Myanmar and Bangladesh.
In Bangladesh, significant damage was observed to camps hosting approximately 930,000 refugees.
A total of 4 districts, 26 Upazilas (sub-districts), 99 unions, and 429,337 Bangladeshi nationals were affected by the cyclone, according to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.
The intense and heavy wind and rainfall destroyed or damaged shelters, water points, latrines, culverts, bridges, and other key community infrastructure.
Also Read: Japan, IOM sign $5.7 million assistance to Rohingyas, host communities in Bangladesh
This emergency grant is to provide critical WASH services to Rohingya, and host communities affected by the cyclone Mocha through IOM.
Activities will include repairing and installation of latrines, provision of hygiene packages to those affected populations and hygiene awareness/promotions activities.
“I feel empathy for those who suffer from disasters such as cyclones. Japan is also prone to natural disasters and is committed to supporting the response and the Build Back Better after Cyclone Mocha for both Rohingya and host communities," said Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori on Tuesday.
Also Read: Japan wants to understand what’s happening in Bangladesh and where it’s headed, BNP says as ambassador meets Fakhrul
He hoped that the WASH services supported by Japan will contribute to maintaining the hygiene environment and will prevent water-borne diseases which might outbreak after the cyclones.
Chief of Mission of IOM Bangladesh Abdusattor Esoev said they are grateful for the generous support of the government of Japan in response to the devastating impact of Cyclone Mocha on the Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox's Bazar.
Also Read: Will continue to work toward resolution of Rohingya issue: Japan
"Japan's commitment to supporting the response and the 'Build Back Better' approach demonstrates their empathy and dedication to those affected by disasters. Together with our partners, we will continue our efforts to provide essential assistance and support the recovery of the affected communities," said Abdusattor Esoev.
Since the beginning of the emergency in August 2017, Japan has been a steady supporter of the Rohingya refugee response in Bangladesh, contributing over USD $200 million to IOM and other UN agencies as well as NGOs in Bangladesh, including through this new funding.
SSC exams postponed for cyclone Mocha to be held after end of written tests: Dipu
The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations which were postponed due to cyclonic storm Mocha will be held after the completion of the written examinations, said Dipu Moni on Monday (May 15, 2023).
The written test under nine general education boards, technical and madrasha boards will end on May 23 and the postponed examinations May 14 and May 15 will be held after the completion of the written test, she said while addressing a programme at Government Teachers’ Training College in the city.
Read More: SSC exams of all education boards for May 15 postponed due to Mocha
Earlier, the SSC exams of the six education boards-Chattogram board, Cumilla board, Jashore board, Barishal board, Bangladesh Madrasa Education board and Technical Education board-for May 14 were postponed and then SSC exams of all education boards scheduled for 15 were postponed due to very severe cyclonic stom Mocha.
Bangladesh Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee issued two notices signed by its chairman Professor Tapan Kumar Sarkar on Saturday and Sunday.
Referring to the new curriculum, Dipu Moni said the authorities have taken steps to implement the new curriculum to build a skilled and smart nation.
Also read: No chance of SSC question papers leaking: Dipu Moni.
Cyclone Mocha: 10,000 houses damaged in Cox's Bazar, inc 1200 in St Martin
At least 10,000 houses were damaged in Cox's Bazar, with 1,200 of them being on vulnerable St Martin's Island off the coast of Teknaf.
Despite the widespread damage, there were no reports of casualties as of filing this report.
Cox's Bazar city, Sadar upazila, Maheshkhali upazila, Kutubdia upazila, and Ramu upazila were all hit by the cyclone, and locals are fearful of the potential for massive losses being uncovered as people return to their daily lives at home.
Also Read: Cyclone Mocha completes landfall, ports now advised to raise signal No. 3
Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Shaheen Imran has confirmed that the cyclone's fury has ceased and that the 2.5 lakh people in shelters will be able to return home pending the authorities' green light.
“However, the extent of the damage is still being assessed and will be reported later,” the DC said.
The cyclone caused extensive damage in Teknaf and St. Martin, with a lot of trees falling in isolated areas of St. Martin, Teknaf Sadar and Municipal areas, Sabrang, Dailpara, and Jadimura.
Also Read: Cyclone Mocha weakens slightly, lies over Maynmar land: BMD
People have been seen removing trees from roads in different areas.
According to Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Kamruzzaman, there are reports of extensive damage in Teknaf and Saint Martin, with trees being uprooted and houses being destroyed in some areas.
Chairman of St Martin union parishad, Mujibur Rahman, said that although the wind speed has decreased in St Martin since evening, many houses have been blown away, and some people have been injured.
More accurate, precise measures of the damage done by Mocha will have to wait till tomorrow, most probably.
Cyclone Mocha: Rickshawpuller burned to death as electric wire falls on him in Ctg
A 38-year-old rickshaw puller, who sustained burn injuries after being electrocuted by a live electric wire that was blown onto him by heavy winds caused by the cyclonic storm Mocha, died at Chattogram Medical College and Hospital on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Md Zahid, hailing from Lalmonirhat district.
Quoting witnesses Md Akteruzzaman, senior station officer of Bayezid Fire Service and Civil Defence, said a live electric wire suddenly fell on him while he was sitting on his rickshaw during heavy wind at the Oxygen intersection around 9:30 am.
Fire erupted from the wire and he sustained burn injuries during the incident.
Later, he was taken to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries at 3:30 pm, said sub-inspector Nurul Alam Ashek, in-charge of the Chattogram Medical College Hospital.