Massive damage is also expected to standing crops and plantations. ET) and began tracking north toward the Indian city … Meanwhile, the UN Country Team in India reported that Cyclone Amphan, which caused widespread damage around Calcutta is now considered even more destructive than Cyclone Aila, which slammed the region in May 2009. The Bangladesh Government has already evacuated nearly two million people to more than 12,000 cyclone shelters that are supplied with, among other things, masks and sanitizers, to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Amphan weakened into the equivalent of an Atlantic tropical storm as it crossed the border between West Bengal and Bangladesh Thursday morning, but is still packing strong winds of up to 110 kph (68 mph). Super Cyclonic Storm ‘AMPHAN’ is very likely to cross West Bengal – Bangladesh coasts between Digha and Hatiya Islands close to Sundarbans on 20 May with max wind speed of 155-165 kmph. Bangladesh evacuated about 2 million people to more than 12,000 cyclone shelters, and while social distancing was the goal, given the coronavirus pandemic, it was … Tropical Cyclone Amphan made landfall Wednesday near the border between India and Bangladesh. Power and telecommunications have been affected across the cyclone-affected districts and North and South 24 Parganas are facing water scarcity. It's unknown when many of those people will be able to return home. In neighboring Bangladesh, 10 people have been confirmed dead, according to the governmental Health Emergency Operations Center. "All areas have faced destruction. Guterres commends India and Bangladesh for life-saving work in face of deadly cyclone, Cyclone Fani hits India, UN moves to protect vulnerable refugees in Bangladesh, Guterres says UN ready to support relief efforts in South Asia countries hit by floods, landslides, Support stepped up for Rohingya camps as first COVID-19 infections are confirmed, Deadly gas leak in India, grim wake-up call for global chemical industry: UN rights expert. Among them was a young girl killed after a wall collapsed inside her home in Howrah district. Pradhan, director-general of India's National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), said the worst of the damage is concentrated in two of West Bengal's coastal districts and that the Sunderbans had been "pulverized" by the cyclone. More than 80 people have been killed and thousands more left homeless after Cyclone Amphan slammed into coastal towns and cities in India and Bangladesh on Wednesday afternoon. Embankment breaches have occurred throughout the state while water inundation and wind have damaged Kolkata airport. The cyclone, which lashed coastal areas with brutal winds and rain, left at least 84 people across India and Bangladesh dead, according to news reports. Boats are anchored at a fishing harbor in Paradeep. Children wear face masks at a relief camp in Paradeep, India. Trucks are stranded on a bridge in Paradeep. In Bangladesh, nearly every coastal district has been seriously affected by Cyclone Amphan, according to Ranjit Kumar Sen, an official at the Bangladesh Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. A disaster management volunteer carries a child as villagers evacuate Bakkhali, India, on the Bay of Bengal coast. Snigdha Chakraborty, with charity Catholic Relief Services, said the country saw storm surges as high as 15 feet (4.5 meters), inundating houses throughout the country. Moreover, several roads have been blocked, shops damaged, and streets waterlogged from the heavy rainfall during high tide. As a result, cyclone Amphan in Bangladesh has destroyed communities and displaced millions of residents. Description of the disaster. Volunteers of the Cyclone Preparedness Program use a megaphone to urge residents to evacuate Dacope, Bangladesh, on May 20. Humanitarian Aid UN humanitarians and partners are working hard to assist the people of Bangladesh and India suffering from the impact of Cyclone Amphan… “Power has been cut off to cities and towns, many of which are working to contain the COVID-19 pandemic”. Disaster teams worked throughout the night and into Thursday morning in India's West Bengal and Odisha states, clearing trees and other debris from roads. Cyclone Amphan update: India and Bangladesh brace for record storm. Cyclone Amphan is a disaster bigger than the coronavirus outbreak, the state's chief minister Banerjee said at a news conference Wednesday. At least 72 people died in West Bengal state, including 15 in the city of Kolkata, the state's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Thursday. Cyclone Amphan tore across Bangladesh’s southwestern coast in May, and severe floods inundated a quarter of the country weeks later. October 7, 2020 The Costliest Disaster Ever to Have Impacted the Bay of Bengal On the morning of May 20, 2020, Tropical Cyclone Amphan (“Amphan”) slammed into India and Bangladesh. WB State Inter Agency Group on Disaster Management. UNICEF, which is closely monitoring the situation with state departments, expressed concern that the COVID-19 could deepen the cyclone’s humanitarian consequences in both the countries. Several poorly maintained dams broke down even before the cyclone made landfall, causing extensive flooding in parts of the country. Amphan hit seven districts badly, namely South 24 Paraganas, North 24 Paraganas, East Medinipur, West Medinipur, Howrah, Hooghly and Kolkata, with damages also reported in the district of Birbhum. In Odisha, where more than 150,000 people were evacuated, a total of 211 of the state's 809 permanent cyclone shelters were being used as Covid-19 quarantine centers. In the areas affected by the cyclone, many villagers live in temporary homes with thatched or tin roofs, which were easily swept away in the powerful winds. Pradeep Jena, special relief commissioner for Odisha state, said emergency services had to balance. Men salvage items from a damaged shop in West Bengal on Thursday, May 21. People gather at a cyclone center for protection before Cyclone Amphan made landfall in Gabura, on the outskirts of Satkhira district, Bangladesh May 20. "People have started moving out of shelters to assess the damage to their homes. In this Wednesday, May 20, 2020 photo, a boat brings people to land, as locals check an embankment before Cyclone Amphan made landfall, in Shyamnagar, Shatkhira, Bangladesh. Over 12,000 cyclone shelters have been readied and the evacuation … An aircraft is parked at the flooded Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata. Cyclone Amphan Bangladesh: "The wind was so powerful that it felt like it would flatten everything," a villager said. Cyclone Amphan formed on 16 May 2020 over the Indian Ocean and started moving north over the Bay of Bengal, towards north-east India coastal areas and south of Bangladesh. Cyclone Amphan made landfall in eastern India on Wednesday afternoon local time. The virus, which continues to spread through both countries, has complicated the emergency response, as relief teams grapple with how to get people to safety while also protecting them against the risk of Covid-19. Support our … A man salvages items from his house damaged by Cyclone Amphan in Midnapore, West Bengal, on May 21, 2020. Villagers repair their house damaged by cyclone Amphan in Satkhira on May 22, 2020. Meanwhile, the power supply was cut off in vulnerable districts of West Bengal and its Chief Minister has estimated $13.2 billion in losses for the state. Though there is concern that the precipitation from the storm -- though it made landfall on the other side of Bangladesh -- could still cause landslides and flooding in the camps. Flooding and small landsides have been reported in several refugee camps, as well as blocked drains and damaged stairs, latrines, and bridges – but no word of casualties or deaths. - Bangladesh began a massive clean-up on May 21 after the fiercest cyclone since 1999 killed at … Currently, the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Fund, Kolkata police, fire services and West Bengal state police are in the throes of relief and restoration efforts. Some weak shelters were damaged in the storm and now need to be repaired, she said. Critics still point to its repressive nature. Cyclone Amphan has made landfall near Sagar Island in West Bengal, India, close to the Bangladeshi border. The storm made landfall around 5 p.m. … Cyclone Amphan made landfall in the coasts of West Bengal, India on 20 May 2020, and then entered Bangladesh with wind speeds of up to 150 kmph, heavy rain … A man takes shelter inside a hut in India's Bhadrak district. William Shakespeare among first Britons to receive coronavirus vaccine, CNN gets access to site of Iranian scientist's assassination, From Bethlehem to Rome, see Christmas decorations around the world, Hear Ashton Kutcher's plea to lawmakers on proposed child abuse legislation, 'The stench is unbearable': Inside horrific Venezuelan Covid-19 ward, These 2 countries are embracing Covid-19 'immunity passports'. This aerial photo shows flooded buildings after a dam broke in Shyamnagar, Bangladesh. Bangladesh Oxfam director, Dipankar Datta, said Wednesday that thousands of makeshift homes in Bangladesh had been uprooted due to the cyclone. Four of the state's least affected districts could be up and running in four to six days, and some coastal parts of Odisha are expected to be back up by this evening, he said. "My thoughts are with the people of Odisha as the state bravely battles the effects of Cyclone Amphan.". Police officers carry a disabled man to a safer place following his evacuation from a slum area in Kolkata, India. A woman carries a child through heavy rain as they evacuate a slum in Kolkata on May 20. The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh flagged that preliminary reports indicate that damage is minimal in Cox’s Bazar - home to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar - with some 300 shelters damaged, approximately 60 of which were fully destroyed. Cyclone Amphan has made landfall in eastern India and Bangladesh, killing at least 15 people as it lashed coastal areas with ferocious wind and rain. Many killed as Cyclone Amphan tears into India, Bangladesh coasts. Villagers reinforce an embankment with sacks of soil in Dacope. A man covers himself with plastic in India's Bhadrak district. A boat ferries people to dry land in Shyamnagar on May 20. Large-scale evacuation efforts appear to have saved many lives, but it could take days to realize the full extent of the deaths, injuries and damage from the cyclone. A satellite image released by NASA shows Cyclone Amphan over the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday, May 19. Nothing is left.". Kuala Lumpur, Dhaka, 02 Jun 2020 – Almost two weeks after cyclone Amphan barreled through Bangladesh, Red Crescent teams have already reached more than 30,000 people, but thousands more are in need of further humanitarian assistance. The next danger will come from the heavy rain, which could lead to flash flooding across the region through Thursday morning. Kolkata (CNN)More than 80 people have been killed and thousands more left homeless after Cyclone Amphan slammed into coastal towns and cities in India and Bangladesh on Wednesday afternoon. A man walks in the rain in India's Bhadrak district. “Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the storm has damaged houses and crops in Bangladesh”, he continued. While fires have maimed transformers and telecommunications in Kolkata, uprooted trees and damaged electric poles have caused power cuts. For the latest update on Amphan, published Tuesday, follow this link: Cyclone Amphan poses extreme storm surge danger for eastern India, Bangladesh. No deaths have been reported yet in the neighboring coastal state of Odisha, despite wind and storm surges causing heavy damage, according to the government there. People carry Tapas Pramanik to receive medical treatment after his leg was broken by a fallen tree in Midnapore, India, on May 21. "I have never seen such disaster," Banerjee told reporters. Amphan was the first “super cyclone” to form over the Bay of Bengal since 1999. Members of India's National Disaster Response Force warn people about the approaching cyclone in Namkhana on May 19. Some have even started repairing their damaged homes," Pradhan said. Last week’s deadly toxic gas leak at a Korean-owned polymer plant in south-eastern India, is a grim wake up call for the chemical industry to acknowledge and fulfil its responsibility to respect human rights, the UN independent expert who monitors the issue, said on Thursday. "Maximum impact, as expected has been seen there," Pradhan said. Nobody knows what the future holds for upcoming cyclones, but those efforts largely paid off during Cyclone Amphan. Rescue workers in Kolkata cut tree branches that fell on a truck due to heavy winds. India passed more than 100,000 confirmed infections earlier this week, according to Johns Hopkins University, and recorded its largest single-day spike on Wednesday with 5,611 new cases. ♦ Receive daily updates directly in your inbox -. World Agence France-Presse Updated: June 04, 2020 12:04 pm IST "The cyclone has affected the electricity supply and destroyed many houses, bridges and embankments.". 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