Cyclone Remal destroys sixteen lives and cuts off power to millions in Bangladesh and India

Cyclone Remal brought severe gusts and rain to Bangladesh and India’s coasts on Monday. The storm killed at least sixteen people and knocked off millions of people’s access to electricity before it subsided.

The cyclone is the first of many storms that have battered the low-lying shores of South Asia’s neighbors this year as rising sea surface temperatures are a result of climate change.

With winds as high as 135 kmph (approximately 84 mph), the storm passed over the coastal areas of Bangladesh’s Mongla port and the neighboring Sagar Islands in India’s West Bengal state, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

According to the IMD’s most recent forecast update, the storm will move northeast and progressively weaken further over the morning hours of Monday.

The landfall process started on Sunday at approximately nine o’clock local time in India and lasted for roughly five hours, according to the regional meteorological office in Kolkata.

During the height of the storm, a person was killed in Kolkata, a large metropolis, when pieces of concrete fell on him, according to authorities. Authorities in both countries waited to determine the exact extent of losses while mud dwellings and thatched hut roofs were demolished in coastal areas.

As sea surface temperatures rise due to climate change, South Asian neighbours Bangladesh and India have seen a surge in the frequency of severe storms along their low-lying coastlines in recent years. In the area, Remal is the first cyclone of the year.

Beginning on Sunday morning, around 800,000 people in Bangladesh were relocated to storm shelters in the port towns of Mongla and Chittagong and nine coastal districts. Additionally, up to 110,000 individuals were sent to shelters in India.

Prior to the storm, Dhaka organized 78,000 volunteers and constructed almost 8,000 cyclone shelters. The Indian Navy also stated that it had ships, planes, divers, and medical supplies ready for deployment if needed.

Although both nations were able to avoid significant casualties from the storm thanks to early warnings and prompt evacuations, the power grid suffered significant damage.

According to power ministry officials, numerous coastal towns were left without electricity because fallen trees and broken wires disrupted the supply. Authorities in Bangladesh had to cut off electricity to numerous regions ahead of time to prevent accidents.

We haven’t had power since last night, and my phone’s battery is about to die. Through the mercy of Allah, the hurricane was not as severe as we had believed, “Rahat Raja, a Bangladeshi living in the Satkhira coastal district, remarked.

According to Arup Biswas, the West Bengal government’s minister for power, at least 356 uprooted electricity poles and damage to several transformers were reported during the first hour of the landing process.

Operations were paused starting at midday on Sunday, forcing the cancellation of over fifty local and international flights in Kolkata. Additionally, Bangladesh halted operations at the ports of Chittagong and Mongla.

Kolkata airport director C Pattavi said, “Normal airport operations will resume from 9 am,” and clarified that there was no waterlogging in the airport’s operating sections.

High tides in several locations breached protective embankments, causing significant damage to river embankments in the Sundarbans delta, shared by Bangladesh and India and home to the world’s biggest mangrove forest.

Television video showed Kolkata and the state’s coastline belt being battered by torrential rains that caused water logging in numerous spots. According to police, at least six trees were uprooted, obstructing traffic, and there were also reports of wall collapses.

Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, was also badly affected by the cyclone’s intense rains, which severely affected commuters and caused road flooding.