November 11, 2019

Anna Murray 

Cyclone Bulbul hit hard during November 9 and 10 and caused at least 20 fatalities and more than 2 million people were forced to get through the stormy night in the shelters. Coastal Khulna was the worst-hit district in Bangladesh, where violently-swaying trees were torn apart in the storm blocking roadways and even endangering people’s lives.

According to the weather reports, the cyclone recorded heavy rainfalls and fierce winds of 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles/hour) forcing the closure of Mongla and Chittagong Ports and Chittagong and Kolkata Airports in Bangladesh and India.

Bangladeshi authorities reported that about 1,200 tourists were stuck in St. Martin's Island of Cox's Bazar district. In addition, 2 fishing boats of more than 36 fishermen onboard in the southern Bhola district had not returned yet. The safety of these missing boats is of great concern.

In India, authorities reported about 120,000 people were evacuated from their homes to shelters because of the cyclone. The storm came violently, left quickly but destroyed thousands of homes across the coastline of West Bengal.

Photo:Webshot.