Cyclone Sitrang completed its landfall and weakened to a tropical depression over Bangladesh in the early hours of Tuesday, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.
From its position over the Northeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining Northwest Bay on Monday, Sitrang moved north-northeastwards very fast and started cutting its path through the Barishal-Chattogram coast near Bhola at 9pm. It was expected to take three to four hours to complete its landfall – the event of a storm moving over land after being over water.
The maximum sustained wind speed within 54 kilometres of the cyclone’s centre at that point was about 62 kilometres per hour rising to 88 kilometres per hour in gusts or squalls.
As Sitrang started lashing the country’s coastal areas, nearly all of Bangladesh suffered under inclement weather with uprooted trees or falling branches killing people and disconnecting power transmission lines, and incessant rainfall causing waterlogging in urban areas.
Authorities scrambled to move at risk populations to the nearest of some 7,000 cyclone shelters that were opened up, mostly in the 19 coastal districts. According to reports coming in late on Monday night, over 2 lakh people were evacuated to these shelters by the time of Sitrang’s landfall.
Authorities in the three southern divisions, meanwhile, declared all educational institutes closed till further notice, with some of the institutions’ premises pressed into operation as cyclone shelters.
The weather department advised Mongla, Payra and Chattogram ports to hoist danger signal No. 7 as the cyclonic storm, that originated in the Andaman Sea as a low, made landfall in Bhola. Cox’s Bazar port was advised to keep hoisted danger signal No. 6.
Danger signal No. 7 means the port will experience severe weather from a storm of light or moderate intensity – wind speed of 62-88 kilometres per hour – that is expected to cross over or near the port.
Danger signal No. 6 means the port will experience severe weather from a storm of slight or moderate intensity – wind speed of 62-88 kilometres per hour – that is not expected to cross over or near the port. In this case, Sitrang was expected to cross the coast away to the north of Chattogram port or Cox’s Bazar port and the west of Mongla port.
Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jhalokathi, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Laxmipur, Chandpur, Noakhali and Feni, along with their offshore islands will remain under danger signal No. 7.
The coastal districts are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall, accompanied by squally winds with speeds of up to 88 kilometres per hour, as Sitrang crosses over them. Cox’s Bazar district and its offshore islands and chars will remain under danger signal No. 6 and are likely to experience heavy or very heavy rain accompanied by squally winds of speed up to 75 kilometres per hour.
Other districts are likely to experience heavy or very heavy rain accompanied by squally wind speed up to 50-60 kilometres per hour.
River ports of Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jhalokathi, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Laxmipur, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni, Cumilla, Chattogram, Faridpur, Dhaka, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Tangail, Kishoreganj, Brahmanbaria, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Cox’s Bazar were advised to keep hoisted riverine danger signal No. 3.
Also, the low-lying areas of Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jhalokathi, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Laxmipur, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni, Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar and their offshore islands and chars are likely to be inundated by the wind-driven tidal surge of height 5-8 feet above the normal astronomical tide.
All fishing boats and trawlers in North Bay and the deep sea were advised to remain in shelter.
Earlier, the cyclonic storm Sitrang hit the coastal areas of Bangladesh in the evening triggering gale winds and rainfall in the southern parts of the country.
Most parts of the country, including Dhaka, are witnessing moderate to heavy rains from morning under the impact of the cyclonic storm.
Authorities have prepared more than 7,000 cyclone shelters to evacuate people while all fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay and deep sea have been asked to remain anchored.
Authorities in Chattogram and other hilly districts warned that landslides could occur if continuous downpour continues.
UNB correspondents from across the southern coastal region reported heavy rains and tidal surges since morning.
Another blackout in parts of capital
Meanwhile, many areas in capital Dhaka and neighbouring Narayanganj plunged into darkness following a huge disruption in the power supply that authorities blamed on Cyclone Sitrang.
According to officials of the Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) and Desco, the two entities which control the distribution network in Dhaka and Narayanganj, many areas experienced blackouts for hours following a fault in the Sympur, Ulan and Maniknagar grid line.
“Due to the grid-disruption, power supply went off in Dhanmondi, Sher-e-Banglanagar, Kakrail, and Kajla in Dhaka city and also some areas in Narayanganj city,” Bikash Dewan, managing director of DPDC, told UNB.
He said many areas also experienced blackouts due to the collapse of trees on the power distribution lines due to cyclone.
Source: United News of Bangladesh