Bangladesh and India: Cyclone Amphan

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Cyclone Amphan made landfall near Sagar Island in West Bengal, India, close to the Bangladeshi border around 5 p.m. local time with sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour (100 mph), according to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Storm surge up to 5 meters (17 feet) is likely to occur along the coastline as Amphan continues to push inland across eastern India and Bangladesh. Heavy rain is also likely to lead to flash flooding across the region through Thursday morning. Once the storm pushes inland it will weaken significantly and is expected to dissipate by Friday.

Disaster Alert estimated that about 6,483 people will be severely affected and about 10 million moderately affected. About 43 million people are exposed to the cyclone. Reports estimate that 3 million people have been evacuated before landfall in India and Bangladesh. Some people have been reluctant to move to the emergency shelters for fear of infection from COVID-19. By landfall, 12 people have died in India with expectations that there could be more as communications and electricity had been cutoff. Migrant workers, particularly those trying to go back to Odisha, have been affected as transportation systems have stopped. In Bangladesh, one man has died when a tree fell on him while another one went missing after his boat capsized.

In India, CASA and LWSIT are planning to respond while CCDB in Bangladesh are already providing services to the affected communities.

 

ALERT Bangladesh India Cyclone Amphan