Bangladesh evacuates 1 mln people ahead of storm
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E-mail Xinhua, May 16, 2013
Major cities including capital Dhaka are experiencing drizzle and gusty wind as an impact of the advancing cyclone.
Officials said normal activities at Chittagong seaport were shut down and people living in risky areas were asked to go to cyclone shelters.
Chittagong Seaport Authority spokesman Syed Farhad Uddin said loading and unloading of goods at the premier seaport have already been suspended due to inclement weather.
He said the port authorities recommended all the vessels to head to safer waters.
Shah Amanat International Airport in Bangladesh's seaport city Chittagong will be closed as of 4 p.m. Wednesday until further notice due to the cyclonic weather conditions, said a Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) official in Dhaka.
The official who preferred to be unnamed said the relevant authorities have been asked to take all movable valuables to safer places.
Senior Meteorologist Shah Alam said under the influence of the storm the low-lying areas of 15 coastal districts of and their offshore islands are likely to be inundated by storm surge of 5-7 feet height above normal astronomical tide.
Many of the coastal districts and their offshore islands are likely to experience wind speed up to 130 KPH in gusts/ squalls with the passage of the storm, he said Wednesday evening.
Bangladesh's Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief said around 3,770 cyclone shelters have been kept ready and they will be opened immediately in case of any emergency.
Mesbah Ul Alam, secretary of the ministry, said the people of the district's coastal areas were alerted about the disaster through loudspeakers, mobile messages and relevant authorities to ensure that they can make the necessary preparations to shift to safe shelters before the cyclone hits.
Tornado and cyclones, killing hundreds of people every year, are common occurrences in this calamity-prone South Asian country of about 153 million people whose per capital income is still less than 1,000 U.S. dollars.
Super cyclone Aila swept across southern Bangladesh on May 25, 2009. It caused widespread damage and affected around 3 million people, leaving at least 179 dead.
Cyclone Aila was the biggest natural calamity in the South Asian delta country after the powerful cyclone Sidr hit the country's southwestern coastal belt on Nov. 15, 2007, leaving more than 4,000 people dead or missing.
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