Cyclone Amphan: 83,000 homes destroyed in Khulna

The extremely severe Cyclonic storm Amphan totally or partially damaged 83,560 homes in Khulna, during a storm surge that washed away several embankments in low-lying coastal areas between Wednesday evening and early hours of Thursday.

At least 400,000 people under 68 unions have been affected in nine upazila of the district, of which Koyra upazila was the worst hit among the rest, said district Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Md Azizul Haque Joarder.

Thousands of shrimp enclosures have been washed away, while numerous thatched house, trees, electricity and telephone poles, dykes and croplands were damaged and many villages were submerged by the tidal surge of the Amphan, he said.

Khulna District Administration, Mongla Port Authority, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) of Mongla West Zone, Fire Service and Civil Defence are working to rehabilitate the affected people of the coastal areas, reports BSS.

As part of the immediate response for the first time in the district history, more than 220,000 people were successfully evacuated to 608 cyclone shelters in coastal districts before the Amphan hit the region, said Khulna Deputy Commissioner Md Helal Hossain.

While a thorough assessment of the damage caused by the cyclone will be made, there are reports of many trees being uprooted from different coastal areas including Dacope, Koyra, Paikgachha and Batiaghata upazila, he said.

Around 3,560 volunteers of different organizations, including Red Crescent and CPP, are working in different regions, he said, adding that 1,100 more volunteers from non-government organizations (NGOs) are also in action while 116 medical teams with health workers are working at cyclone-affected upazilas.

The storm ‘Amphan’, however, claimed no life so far and injured some people in coastal areas.

Meanwhile, 250,000 tons of rice, Tk7 lakh in cash, and 1,900 packets of dry food were distributed in Koyra, Dacope, Paikgachha and Batiaghata upazila so far.

“Fortunately, the harvesting of the Boro paddy has almost been completed before the cyclone. So the damage of boro paddy is comparatively low,” said Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Khulna Agriculturist Pankaj Kanti Majumdar.

The operation of Mongla port resumes Thursday afternoon, said Md Makruzzaman, secretary of Mongla Port Authority (MPA).