Over 100 homes and agricultural fields have been damaged in Kurigram due to a few minutes of nor’wester and hailstorm.
Around 11pm on Saturday night, the nor’wester hit several upazilas in Kurigram, which local residents said was one of the strongest storms in recent years.
As a result of the storm’s devastation, several areas of the district town remained without electricity throughout the day.
More than 50 houses were damaged in various parts of Kurigram Sadar and Fulbari upazilas due to falling tree branches.
In the Belgacha and Holokhana unions of Kurigram Sadar upazila, the houses of approximately 25 to 30 families were damaged.
The homes of at least eight to 10 families were completely destroyed, leaving many to live under the open sky as they could not afford to carry out repairs.
In Holokhana union, the buildings of Char Holokhana Emdadia Alim Madrasa and Holokhana Nurun Nabi Girls' High School were also damaged.
Moreover, the nor’wester wreaked havoc in several areas of Fulbari upazila.
In Baravita union, at least 14 shops were reported to have been destroyed.
Morsheda and Sakhina, residents of Tapurchar Paschimpara village in Holokhana union, said that they barely survived.
The sudden storm uprooted and flattened their homes. The tin sheets and wooden structures of their houses are now rendered unusable, they said.
Local resident Morsheda said: "We barely survived. Three of us were inside. The house collapsed over our heads. The ceiling fan and debris fell on us. My mother-in-law was injured."
Sakhina said: "All three of our houses collapsed. Our belongings have been crushed. Now we don't know how we will fix things or where we will stay. We have no options."
Around 50 families from the same village reportedly had their homes damaged.
Meanwhile, due to strong winds and hail, there was widespread damage to boro paddy, vegetables, and mango orchards across the district.
According to initial reports from the Department of Agricultural Extension, the most damage occurred in Sadar and Fulbari upazilas.
Khurshid Alam, a sub-assistant agriculture officer at the Department of Agricultural Extension, Kurigram, said: "Preliminary assessments show damage to 218 hectares of boro paddy, 92 hectares of maize, 51 hectares of vegetables, and 16 hectares of jute fields, mostly in Sadar and Fulbari upazilas."
Additional Deputy Commissioner Uttam Kumar Roy said: "Relevant departments started clearing fallen trees from Sunday morning. We issued instructions from Saturday night to restore road communication and the electricity supply. Additionally, the Disaster Management Branch has been instructed to assess the extent of damage and arrange necessary assistance."
As of 6pm on Sunday evening, several parts of the town were still without electricity.
