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Cyclone ‘Amphan’ destroys 82,000 houses in Khulna

Published : Thursday, 21 May, 2020 at 2:27 PM  Count : 599

Cyclone ‘Amphan’ destroys 82,000 houses in Khulna

Cyclone ‘Amphan’ destroys 82,000 houses in Khulna

The extremely  severe Cyclonic storm ‘Amphan’ totally and partially damaged 82,000 homesteads, bringing a storm surge that swamped embankments  in low-lying coastal areas, according to a government official on Thursday.

The official of the District Relief and Rehabilitation Management Office also informed that at least five lakh people of 68 unions under nine upazilas have been affected by ‘Amphan’ in Khulna.

“Hundreds of shrimp enclosures have been washed way, huge number of thatched houses and standing crops on a vast land damaged while  trees, electricity and telephone poles were uprooted. Many villages were also submerged by the tidal surge, he said.

Khulna District Administration, Mongla Port Authority, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) of Mongla West Zone, Fire Service and Civil Defence are working to rehabilitate the affected coastal people.

As part of the immediate response for the first time in the district’s history, more than 2.20 lakh people were successfully evacuated and moved to 608 cyclone centres as the Amphan hit the region, said Deputy Commissioner of Khulna Md Helal Hossain.

Around 3,560 volunteers of different organisations, including Red Crescent and CPP, are working in different regions, he said, adding that 1,100 more volunteers from non-government organizations (NGOs) are also in action, 116 medical teams with health workers are working at cyclone affected upazilas.

District Relief and Rehabilitation officer Md. Azizul Haque Joarder said the extremely severe cyclonic storm ‘Amphan’ caused a "fear of a major disaster which is mostly over." Huge loss of  lives and of property could be avoided this time as the district administration took appropriate precautionary measures to cope the disaster, he added.

The storm has uprooted trees and electricity poles.  In some places, fallen trees have halted traffic while thatched houses and power supply infrastructure have been damaged.  

Due to the high tide in the river, breaches developed in the embankments, submerging low-lying areas of  Koyra, Paikgachha and, he added.

The storm ‘Amphan’, however, claimed no lives so far and injured some people in coastal areas.

However, about 2.5-lakh metric tonnes of rice, Taka 7-lakh in cash, 1,900 packets of dry food have, so far, been distributed in Koyra, Dakop, Paikgachha and  Batiaghata  upazilas so far.

“Fortunately, the boro has almost been completed. Still, it could leave a trail of destruction,” said Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Khulna Agriculturist Pankaj Kanti Majumdar.

The operations of Mongla port resume on Thursday noon, said Md Makruzzaman, secretary of Mongla Port Authority (MPA).

ZH/LY






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