Staff Reporter :
Severe Cyclonic Storm Remal has lashed the West Bengal-Khepupara coast near the southwest of Mongla, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.
The storm began crossing the coasts with a wind speed of up to 120 kph, meteorologist Shameem Hassan Bhuiyan announced at a press conference at 8:15 pm on Sunday.
A youth named Shariful Islam, 24, of the Anantapara area in Patuakhali’s Kalapara upazila, was swept away in a tidal surge caused by Cyclone Remal on Sunday afternoon.
Officer-in-Charge Anwar Hossain Talukder of Mahipur Police Station reported that Shariful was trying to save his mother-in-law and sister from the storm around 1:00 pm when Kawar Char went under 5-7 feet of water. Locals recovered his body after an hour.
Patuakhali District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Suman Debnath said, “At least 35,000 people had taken shelter in various cyclone shelters in the district by 5:00 pm on Sunday.
Meteorologist Shameem Hassan Bhuiyan stated that the storm center was 145 to 310 kilometers from Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Payra, and Mongla maritime ports, which had hoisted danger signal No. 10, the highest level of alert.”
It was anticipated that the storm’s center would take two more hours from 8:15 pm to cross the coastline, with the entire storm taking another five to seven hours to get ashore. Meteorologist Abdur Rahman noted that the edge of the storm had already touched the coast in the afternoon, with its center beginning to lash the area around 6:00 pm.
The coastal district of Khulna experienced gusty winds and rain due to Cyclone Remal’s influence on Sunday evening. The Sundarbans were flooded by a wind-driven surge four feet above the normal tide.
Harun-or-Rashid, in-charge of the Mongla Weather Observatory, said the storm might cross the Sundarbans and Mongla coastal areas between 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm that night. The Mongla maritime port was advised to keep hoisted great danger signal No. 10.
Hawladar Azad Kabir, officer-in-charge of Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre in the east Sundarbans, said , “The only wildlife breeding center had been flooded, and continuous rains might increase the tidal surge. Leave for all officials and forest guards under Sundarbans was canceled, and guards at risky Forest Department camps were evacuated.”
Nishat Tamanna, Mongla Upazila Nirbahi Officer, stated that the operation of all kinds of vessels on the Mongla River was suspended, although ferry services were kept operational for emergencies.
All rivers in the coastal district of Bagerhat were flowing above the danger level due to the storm, leading to flooding in various low-lying and residential areas near the riverbanks. Before the cyclone struck, over 200 houses were flooded on Sunday afternoon in Morelganj, Sharankhola, Mongla, and Rampal Upazilas, according to the district administration.
Abu Raihan Mohammad Al-Biruni, executive engineer of Bagerhat Water Development Board, noted that the main rivers in Bagerhat were flowing above the danger level by Sunday afternoon, with the highest rise in water level observed in the Pasur River in Mongla Upazila. The river level at Mongla Port exceeded the danger mark by five feet, while the Baleshwar and Bhairab rivers saw water levels two to three feet above the danger mark.
Luis Biswas Farazi from Bagerhat Sadar reported that during the afternoon tide, river water overflowed into the homes of over 150 families near the Doratana Bridge, alongside Maria Palli and the adjacent Doratana River. Residents of Maria Palli said the embankments were breached by tidal waters, making it difficult to cook and eat.
Masudur Rahman, district officer for relief and rehabilitation in Bagerhat, mentioned that local residents had started arriving at cyclone shelters in coastal Bagerhat. Since Sunday afternoon, residents from the most vulnerable areas near the rivers in Sharankhola, Mongla, Morelganj, and Rampal sought refuge, though the exact number of people in the shelters was not yet specified.