Tens of thousands of people have gathered at the cyclone shelters in the coastal districts leaving their houses as the cyclone Mahasen approaches the areas.
Meanwhile, under the influence of the storm, tide levels have risen and drizzling has begun at some of the coastal districts.
The Met office has given cautionary signal number seven for Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf and cautionary signal number five for Mongla. It has also directed fishermen to keep their vessels at the ports until further notice.
According to the Met office, this cyclone may hit the coastal areas in Bangladesh this morning. On yesterday evening, it was around 640km south from Chittagong.
The government said all kinds of preparations have been taken to face the immediate as well as post-cyclone losses at the coastal areas.
A total of 1,327 medical teams have been kept on stand-by in 13 coastal districts in preparation for the storm, said health minister AFM Ruhul Haque. Besides, leaves for all the officials and staffs under the health bureau and health department deployed in the districts have been cancelled.
Mahasen may cross Patuakhali (Khepupara) - Teknaf coast near Chittagong by early Thursday morning.
Panic was visible among the residents of the coastal districts yesterday as many gathered at the cyclone shelter centres with children and cattle. The local administration as well as volunteers are working among them to motivate and help the people take position at the shelters.
In Cox’s Bazar, authorities removed around 20,000 people from vulnerable areas in the five coastal upazilas and took them to cyclone shelters. The district administration requested everyone to leave the coastal areas by 8pm yesterday.
The government has circulated a list of dos and don’ts during and after the storm for the people at the coastal areas. The notice has requested people to store matchboxes, torchlights, candles, dry food and drinking water before joining the shelter centres.