NEW DELHI — Bangladesh evacuated nearly 800,000 people from vulnerable areas on Sunday as the country and neighboring India awaited the arrival of a strong cyclone that formed over the Bay of Bengal.
The storm is expected to cross the coasts of Bangladesh and West Bengal of India around midnight on Sunday. The India Meteorological Department said it is expected to reach maximum wind speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph), with gusts of up to 135 kph (85 mph) hitting West Bengal’s Sagar Island and the Khepupara region. in Bangladesh on Sunday night.
Bangladesh’s junior disaster management and relief minister Mohibur Rahman said volunteers have been deployed to evacuate people to 4,000 cyclone shelters across the country’s coastal region. The government also closed all schools in the region until further notice.
The Indian airport in Kolkata will be closed for 21 hours from midnight on Sunday. Bangladesh closed the airport in the southeastern city of Chattogram and canceled all domestic flights to and from Cox’s Bazar.
Bangladesh authorities also suspended loading and unloading at the country’s largest main seaport, Chittagong, and began moving more than a dozen ships from jetties to the deep sea as a precaution.
This is the first cyclone in the Bay of Bengal ahead of this year’s monsoon season, which runs from June to September.
Moderate to heavy rain is expected in most coastal districts of the Indian state of West Bengal. A storm surge about 1 meter (3.1 ft) high is expected to inundate low-lying areas of the coast of West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Such storms can uproot trees and cause significant damage to thatched houses and power and communication lines, according to the statement.
India’s coasts are often hit by cyclones, but changing weather patterns have caused them to become more intense, making preparations for natural disasters more urgent.
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