Kolkata/Dhaka: India and Bangladesh are preparing for the first cyclone of the year as a powerful storm with wind speeds reaching up to 120 km/h (75 mph) is forecasted to make landfall late on Sunday, according to India’s weather department.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has elevated its storm danger signal to the highest level of 10 for two ports and nine coastal districts, disseminating warnings through loudspeakers to alert residents.
The low-lying coastal regions of these South Asian neighbors have been increasingly vulnerable to severe storms in recent years. For instance, Cyclone Yaas in 2021 left over 50,000 people homeless and resulted in at least one fatality.
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In response to the impending cyclone, Bangladesh has established nearly 8,000 cyclone shelters and mobilized 78,000 volunteers. “We are maintaining regular communication with the regional specialized meteorological center in India,” stated Mohibbur Rahman, Bangladesh’s state minister for disaster management and relief, in an interview with the international news agency Reuters.
India has also taken extensive precautionary measures, deploying its disaster relief force in the eastern state of West Bengal. The major metropolitan city of Kolkata has suspended flights as a safety measure.
West Bengal has already begun experiencing moderate rainfall, prompting the government to cancel leave for employees in essential services. “In Kolkata, conditions were overcast but life was normal,” said Somnath Dutta, head of the weather forecast section at the regional meteorological center in Kolkata, in an interview with Reuters.
Social media platform X featured images showing disaster management teams alerting tourists at a beach in West Bengal.
