M M Jasim :
The cyclonic storm ‘Komen’ started to weaken and crossed the Chittagong coast on Friday morning without causing any serious damages. It crossed the coast near Sandwip Island in the early hours of Friday and was
currently over Noakhali and the adjoining areas as a land depression, said a bulletin issued by the Meteorological Department. Komen’s latest progress was causing light to heavy showers in different parts of the country since the early hours.
The Met office said the storm was ‘likely to move west-northwestwards inland and weaken gradually’.
Met office Director Md Shah Alam said the Komen had started to cross the Chittagong coast through Hatiya and Sandwip around 9:30 Thursday night. As it was gotten weak, it took about five hours to cross the coast. The coastal areas experienced rains with strong winds.
The wind speed was between 60-70 kilometres per hour while crossing the coast, Shah Alam said. The storm reached near Chittagong coast after crossing alongside Teknaf and Saint Martin’s island Thursday morning. The sea was rough.
Tidal waves, higher than five feet, may inundate the low-lying areas, the Met office had forecast.
Maritime ports of Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar have been advised to lower cautionary danger signal no. 7 but instead hoist local cautionary signal no. three. Maritime ports of Mongla and Payra have also been advised to lower cautionary danger signal no. 5 and hoist local cautionary signal no. three. All fishing boats, trawlers and marine vessels over North Bay have been advised to remain in shelter till yesterday afternoon and proceed with caution till further notice.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) resumed water vessel movement in all internal routes around 10:00am as cyclone Komen weakens, said Mozammel Haque, Chairman of BIWTA. Loading and unloading work at the ship anchorage in the Chittagong sea port resumed since yesterday morning, said Zafar Alam, a member (admin and planning) of the Chittagong Port Authority.
Until now, six people were killed and many received injuries, hundreds of houses damaged and thousands of trees uprooted by strong winds in four districts since Thursday.
Tidal waves, at least five-feet high, had inundated the low-lying areas including several islands and shoals.
On the other hand, the people who got shelter in different places have started to return home as the local administration announced that ‘Komen’ started to weaken and crossed the Chittagong coast.
Nearly one lakh people who had taken shelter in 475 cyclone shelter centres in the district have started returning to their homes, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Mohammad Shah Reaz said.
The people are now helpless as thousands of houses were damaged in different upazilas of Noakhali, Sandwip Island, Saint-Martin, Kutubdia, Moheshkhali, Bhola and Sitakunda Upzila by the strong winds of Komen.
Nizam Uddin, a resident of the Sandwip island told The New Nation on Friday that all portions of his house were damaged. “Where we will live? Komen damaged everything of us,” Nizam said with crying voice.
ATM Nurul Bashar Chowdhury, Chairman of Kutubdia Upazila said, most of the houses of the upazila were damaged. Schools, colleges and Madrashas were also damaged. The embankments of this area are now in danger situation. The embankments may break any time. As a result, the people of this upazila are now in an uncertain situation, he said.
Nurul Bashar Chowdhury urged the government to allocate more relief and funds to make the people easy.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people of seven villages in the district’s Hatiya upazila are marooned following a partial collapse of an embankment on Friday.
A portion (1.5km) of the embankment collapsed because of the rushing water influenced by Komen from Bishkhali, Buriswar, Boleswar and Khakdan rivers.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Hatiya Abu Hasanat Mohammed Moeenuddin said that some 30 cattle had died due to the cold and rough weather in Biribiri area under the upazila till Friday afternoon.
“Some 1.5km of the embankment has been washed away by the floodwater. As a result, seven villages under three unions were inundated and hundreds of people of these areas marooned.”
The cyclonic storm ‘Komen’ started to weaken and crossed the Chittagong coast on Friday morning without causing any serious damages. It crossed the coast near Sandwip Island in the early hours of Friday and was
currently over Noakhali and the adjoining areas as a land depression, said a bulletin issued by the Meteorological Department. Komen’s latest progress was causing light to heavy showers in different parts of the country since the early hours.
The Met office said the storm was ‘likely to move west-northwestwards inland and weaken gradually’.
Met office Director Md Shah Alam said the Komen had started to cross the Chittagong coast through Hatiya and Sandwip around 9:30 Thursday night. As it was gotten weak, it took about five hours to cross the coast. The coastal areas experienced rains with strong winds.
The wind speed was between 60-70 kilometres per hour while crossing the coast, Shah Alam said. The storm reached near Chittagong coast after crossing alongside Teknaf and Saint Martin’s island Thursday morning. The sea was rough.
Tidal waves, higher than five feet, may inundate the low-lying areas, the Met office had forecast.
Maritime ports of Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar have been advised to lower cautionary danger signal no. 7 but instead hoist local cautionary signal no. three. Maritime ports of Mongla and Payra have also been advised to lower cautionary danger signal no. 5 and hoist local cautionary signal no. three. All fishing boats, trawlers and marine vessels over North Bay have been advised to remain in shelter till yesterday afternoon and proceed with caution till further notice.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) resumed water vessel movement in all internal routes around 10:00am as cyclone Komen weakens, said Mozammel Haque, Chairman of BIWTA. Loading and unloading work at the ship anchorage in the Chittagong sea port resumed since yesterday morning, said Zafar Alam, a member (admin and planning) of the Chittagong Port Authority.
Until now, six people were killed and many received injuries, hundreds of houses damaged and thousands of trees uprooted by strong winds in four districts since Thursday.
Tidal waves, at least five-feet high, had inundated the low-lying areas including several islands and shoals.
On the other hand, the people who got shelter in different places have started to return home as the local administration announced that ‘Komen’ started to weaken and crossed the Chittagong coast.
Nearly one lakh people who had taken shelter in 475 cyclone shelter centres in the district have started returning to their homes, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Mohammad Shah Reaz said.
The people are now helpless as thousands of houses were damaged in different upazilas of Noakhali, Sandwip Island, Saint-Martin, Kutubdia, Moheshkhali, Bhola and Sitakunda Upzila by the strong winds of Komen.
Nizam Uddin, a resident of the Sandwip island told The New Nation on Friday that all portions of his house were damaged. “Where we will live? Komen damaged everything of us,” Nizam said with crying voice.
ATM Nurul Bashar Chowdhury, Chairman of Kutubdia Upazila said, most of the houses of the upazila were damaged. Schools, colleges and Madrashas were also damaged. The embankments of this area are now in danger situation. The embankments may break any time. As a result, the people of this upazila are now in an uncertain situation, he said.
Nurul Bashar Chowdhury urged the government to allocate more relief and funds to make the people easy.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people of seven villages in the district’s Hatiya upazila are marooned following a partial collapse of an embankment on Friday.
A portion (1.5km) of the embankment collapsed because of the rushing water influenced by Komen from Bishkhali, Buriswar, Boleswar and Khakdan rivers.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Hatiya Abu Hasanat Mohammed Moeenuddin said that some 30 cattle had died due to the cold and rough weather in Biribiri area under the upazila till Friday afternoon.
“Some 1.5km of the embankment has been washed away by the floodwater. As a result, seven villages under three unions were inundated and hundreds of people of these areas marooned.”
