10 killed as Fani crosses Bangladesh

At least 10 people were killed, including five children, as weakened super cyclone Fani crossed Bangladesh on Saturday flattening hundreds of houses and standing crops and uprooting thousands of trees mostly in nine districts. 
So far death toll from Fani rose to 11 as a 50-year-old woman was killed in Bagerhat on Friday being crushed under a tree.
Scores of people were injured in eight of the affected districts in the coastal areas as they tried to protect their belongings while the cyclone hit or being hit by flying objects.
Road communications in many areas were disrupted as trees fell on roads while river transports, including ferry services, remained suspended in the inclement weather.
Tidal surges damaged 8,500km embankments flooding several dozen of coastal villages and thousands of acres of croplands. 
Strong wind also uprooted utility poles at places disrupting power supply to hospitals and other public service providers and also forced airlines to cancel at least 10 local and international flights.
Cyclone Preparedness Programme director Ahmadul Haque said that it would take until Sunday to get a complete picture of losses caused by the cyclone as reports of damage continued coming from affected areas. 
The National Disaster Response Coordination Centre in its primary estimate of losses said that crops on 5,608 acres of land were destroyed completely or partially by the cyclone.
The cyclone also damaged 2,243 houses completely and 11,172 houses partially, the centre said.
The cyclone, which travelled about 800km after making landfall in Indian state of Odisha to reach Bangladesh, also caused heavy rains across the country on Saturday and Friday triggering flash flood warning. 
‘Almost all major rivers in the north-eastern districts swelled rapidly following heavy rains due to the impact of the cyclone,’ said Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre executive engineer Arifuzzaman Bhuyan. 
‘A flash flood is likely in the north-eastern districts in the next 48 hours,’ he said Saturday evening.
Fani downgraded to a low pressure in 12 hours as it travelled in north-easterly direction after entering Bangladesh through its south-western part as a cyclone at about 6:00am, according to Bangladesh Met Office.
‘Parts of Bangladesh may continue to experience heavy rains till Sunday afternoon even after the low pressure moved to Assam and Meghalaya,’ said weather forecaster Abdul Mannan.
Indian Met Office predicted heavy rains in Assam and Meghalaya throughout Monday due to the impact of the low pressure. The cyclone that barrelled into Indian state of Odisha Friday morning with wind blowing up to 200km per hour killed 12 people and caused huge damage in property losses before entering Bangladesh.
The centre of the cyclone moved inland Bangladesh through south-western coastal districts of Khulna, Satkhira and Jashore and moved in north-easterly direction over central Bangladesh districts of Faridpur, Tangail and Dhaka, the Met Office said.
On Saturday, the highest rainfall of 90mm was recorded at Maizdi in Noakhali, followed by 72mm, 61mm and 51mm rainfall in Hatiya, Cumilla and Feni, the Met Office said. The Water Development Board said that protection embankment in Satkhira, Patuakhali, Barguna, Pirojpur, Bhola and Jhalakati was damaged at places due to tidal surges caused by the cyclone.
Of the Saturday’s deceased, two each died in Noakhali, Barguna and Sirajganj, and one each in Bhola, Lakshmipur, Patuakhali and Chapainawabganj. Three of them were women.
The deaths were mostly caused in house collapse or being crushed under uprooted trees. On Friday, six more people were killed in lightning strikes in Kishoreganj and two other in Netrakona.
United News of Bangladesh reported that the cyclone affected electricity supply to half of rural areas. 
Rural Electrification B5oard chairman Moin Uddin told UNB that about 45 per cent of 26 million consumers were affected.
Power supply was restored to half of the affected areas till evening, he said. 
New Age correspondent in Patuakhali reported that a 50-year-old woman and her grandson were killed after their house was crushed under an uprooted tree at Charduani of Patharghata.
Noakhali deputy commissioner Tanmaya Das said that over 600 houses were flattened at Noakhali sadar and Subarnachar upazilas.
‘The affected people are very poor and would not be able to recover without help,’ said Tanmaya.
He said that about 1,000 trees were uprooted in the district disrupting power supply between Friday midnight and Saturday afternoon.
At least 56 people were undergoing treatment with minor injuries at various hospitals in Noakhali, he said.
Patuakhali deputy commissioner Matiul Islam Chowdhury said that more than 6,000 acres of cropland in eight upazilas were flooded after protection embankment in Mirzaganj and Kolapara upazilas gave in to tidal surges.
He said that almost 2,100 houses were damaged or partially damaged because of the cyclone. 
Losses of property and crops were also reported in Barguna, Khulna, Chadpur, Lakshmipur, Barishal, and Chuadanga.
New Age correspondent in Barishal reported that the cyclone damaged standing crops on 9,100 hectare in the district. Deputy commissioners in the affected coastal districts confirmed New Age that people taken to cyclone shelters returned home by Saturday afternoon.
Over 12 million people were taken to about 4,000 shelters on Friday.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority decided to open river routes from Sunday morning, more than 60 hours after river transport was suspended in apprehension of the cyclone.
Several hundred vehicles carrying passengers and goods were stranded on both sides of Shimulia-Kathalbari and Paturia-Daulatdia ferry terminals as ferry services had remained suspended since 4:00pm Friday.
State-owned news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported that four airlines including national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Saturday cancelled 10 local and international flights.
New Age correspondent in Chattogram reported that hospitals and other public service providers moved on emergency power supply after seven electric poles were uprooted by the cyclone in the morning.
Operations at Chattogram port was also resumed after 38 hours.
The Met Office in a special weather bulletin issued in the afternoon revised its weather advisory lowering warning signal to cautionary signal 3 in all the four maritime ports of Mongla, Payra, Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar.
It also warned people living in the low-lying areas of 17 coastal districts and offshore islands and chars of tidal surges up to 4 feet above the regular astronomical surge due to the impact of the cyclone.
It advised fishing boats and trawlers to stay in shelter and not to venture into the sea until further notice.

Passengers get stranded at Sadarghat launch terminal in Dhaka as authorities have suspended river transport because of cyclone Fani. The photo was taken on Saturday.— Sony Ramany

 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net