Villages flooded as weakened Fani passes through Bangladesh

Parts of Bangladesh experienced spells of rains and gusty wind throughout Friday as the super cyclone Fani weakened by the time it reached Bangladesh after making landfall more than 800km away in the Indian state of Odisha in the morning. 
The cyclone also caused slightly higher than usual tidal surges that breached protection embankments at places in the coastal districts of Patuakhali and Bagerhat, stranding several thousand people in 20 villages.
Some of them were rescued and taken to cyclone shelters in the evening. Vast areas of cropland in the areas were submerged.
Parts of the districts vulnerable to the cyclone plunged into darkness after power supply was cut to them in apprehension of the cyclone after nightfall. Coastal district Barguna was, however, without power since afternoon till writing of the report early Saturday. 
At least six people were killed in lightning strikes in the north-eastern district of Kishoreganj and another woman died falling under a tree branch in Bagerhat.
At 600 pm, the eye of cyclone Fani, which battered Odisha with wind blowing up to 200 km per hour and heavy torrential rain, was about 410km southwest off Mongla Port, according to forecasts by Met Offices in India and Bangladesh.
The Kolkata office of Indian Meteorological Department said that the West Bengal people were likely to feel the highest impact of the cyclone between late midnight and early Saturday with wind blowing up to 115kph.
The extremely severe cyclonic storm lost its strength as it travelled overland and its centre might have the strength of a mere cyclone by the time it would reach Bangladesh sometime Saturday morning, said the Kolkata Met Office forecast.
Bangladesh Met Office revised its forecast at about midnight saying that that the highest impact of the cyclone was likely to be felt from Saturday morning.
It said that the weakened cyclone was unlikely to cause significant losses in Bangladesh.
The disaster management and relief ministry announced in the evening that 12,40,895 people were evacuated and taken to 4,071 cyclone shelters in 19 coastal districts till 6:00pm.
‘These people will stay at the cyclone shelters until further notice,’ said cyclone preparedness programme director Ahmadul Haque. 
Although the force of the cyclone was likely to be mostly felt in north-western, northern and some of the north-eastern districts no evacuation took place there.
‘There are no cyclone shelters in the districts, but we alerted people to the possible harm of the cyclone,’ said Ahmadul. 
New Age correspondent in Patuakhali reported that about 13,000 inhabitants of 16 villages at Kalapara, Rangabali and Galachipa upazilas were stranded as tidal surges breached protection embankments flooding vast areas.
Galachipa upazila nirbahi officer Shah Mohammad Rafiqul Islam said that most of the stranded people were rescued in the afternoon and taken to shelter centres in the evening.
At least four people were injured at Barbaria of Dhamrai in Dhaka after a tree fall on a moving car in the afternoon.
New Age correspondent in Bagerhat reported that 50-year lady Shahnur Begum, a resident of Ranajitpur at Sadar upazila, was killed as a tree branch fell on her.
Southkhali union parishad acting chairman Khalilur Rahman said that about 100 families were affected as protection embankment at Bogi was breached flooding cropland and neighbourhoods.
Volunteers had to leave many people behind for they were unwilling to leave home and belongings to take shelter.
At places, where protection embankments had completely been destroyed in previous disasters, authorities had to send police to facilitate evacuation.
Bangladesh Met Office issued a heavy rainfall warning for across Bangladesh for Sunday due to the impact of the storm.
The warning signal no seven issued for the maritime ports of Mongla and Payra remains. Warning signal no six remains for Chattogram and Noakhali and four for Cox’s Bazar. 
Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said that heavy rains caused by Fani might cause flash flood in north-eastern haor region in the next 48 hours since Friday evening.
Inland river transport remained suspended since Thursday. Fishing trawlers and boats were advised not to venture into the sea.
Communication between islands with mainland Bangladesh remained also cut off.
The Higher Secondary Certificate and its equivalent examinations scheduled for Saturday were shifted to May 14 due to Fani, according to a release of Inter-education board coordination subcommittee. 
Inter Services Public Relations in a release said that it readied 32 naval vessels in Chattogram, Khulna and Mongla naval areas for rescue, emergency relief and medical assistance, reported Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.
It also reported that Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Friday cancelled two domestic flights and delayed two others due to advancing cyclonic storm ‘Fani’.
There is also the likelihood that Biman Bangladesh Airlines could reschedule more flights, reported the news agency. 
In November 2007, cyclone Sidr killed 3,447 people, damaged a quarter of the Sunderbans and caused damage worth $1.7 billion.
In May 2009, another cyclone Aila killed 339 people and left one million homeless in 11 coastal districts.
In May 2017, cyclone Mora killed eight people.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net