Cyclone ‘Bulbul': Danger signal 10 for Mongla, Payra; 9 for Chattogram

Bangladesh Meteorological Department has advised the maritime ports of Mongla and Payra to hoist Great Danger Signal No. 10, as a cyclone hurtles towards the coast.

The ‘very severe’ cyclonic storm “Bulbul” surged northwards over the Bay of Bengal was centred about 280 to 475 km south-west of the maritime ports of Mongla, Payra, Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar at 12pm on Saturday.

It is expected to make landfall later in the evening, said Senior Meteorologist Ruhul Quddus.

The maximum sustained wind speed within 74 kms of the cyclone centre is about 130 kph, rising to 150 kph in gusts and squalls.

The Met Office issued Great Danger Signal No. 9 for Chattogram while the Cox’s Bazaar port was advised to hoist Local Warning Signal No. 4.

Under the influence of the storm and the moon phase, the low-lying areas of the coastal districts of Chattogram, Noakiiali, Laxmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Barguna, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barishal, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira and their offshore islands and chars are likely to be inundated by storm surge of 5-7 feet high above normal astronomical tide.

In Saturday’s weather forecast, the Met Office said light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at most places over Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal and Chattogram divisions and at many places over Rangpur, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions with moderately heavy to very heavy falls at places over the country.

Night and day temperatures may fall by 1-3° Celsius over the country.

PREPARATIONS

Cyclone season in the region can last from April to December when severe storms batter coastal towns and cities, and cause widespread deaths and damage to crops and property in both Bangladesh and India.

But recent technological advances have helped meteorologists predict weather patterns more accurately and help the authorities prepare.

The government has predicted seven districts will be most vulnerable to the effects of the storm and thus prepared the cyclone shelters in these districts for evacuation.

These are Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Barguna, Patuakhali, Pirojpur and Bhola.

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman told a news briefing in Dhaka that “adequate measures” have been taken to tackle the storm.

However, there is no possibility of major damage except “a little” to the crops, he said.

Around 56,000 volunteers are ready to provide help, he said adding that preparations are in place to evacuate people to safe shelters before the cyclone makes landfall.

A total of 2,000 packets of dry food have already been supplied to the areas, according to the state minister.

The officials and employees under the Water Development Board in these districts have been asked to stay in the workplace until Nov 16 so that they could take part in an emergency rescue mission in the event of cyclone causing any havoc.

The government weekly holiday of Saturday and that of Eid-e-Mildunnabi on Sunday have been canceled for the government employees in the seven vulnerable districts and six others, which are Noakhali, Feni, Laxmipur, Chandpur, Cox’s Bazar, and Chattogram.

The authorities have suspended all sorts of activities at three maritime ports and inland water transportation until further notice.

All the ships have been asked to move from the jetties to the outer anchorage.

The authorities of Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram said the condition was normal until Friday night, but they were ready to tackle any situation if the weather worsened due to the storm.