A cyclone called Amphan, one of the fiercest of its kind, has hit parts of Bangladesh and Eastern India, causing massive destruction and 22 deaths. Millions of people have now had to be crammed into shelters because of the Covid-19 fear.
There has been a power outage since the storm began its landfall at 2:30 pm on Wednesday, with sustained wind speeds of 155-165 km/ph spiralling up to 185 km/ph. The storm weakened as it moved ahead and is currently centred over Bangladesh.
Kolkata was one of the worst-hit and people have been stuck in flooded streets and drowning cars according to the footage that was released on Indian television.
"The impact of Amphan is worse than coronavirus," Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal has said, while confirming 12 deaths in the West Bengal.
"Thousands of mud huts have been levelled, trees uprooted, roads washed away and crops destroyed," she said.
News agency Associated Press also reported 10 deaths in Bengal.
“We are facing three crises: the coronavirus, the thousands of migrants who are returning home and now the cyclone,” said Banerjee.
Amphan is the strongest cyclone to have originated from the Bay of Bengal in decades. High winds and torrid rains triggered by the cyclone’s movement pounded villages and cities in coatal Odisha and West Bengal, bringing down power lines, uprooting trees and inundating homes.
Amphan is a Thai name that means sky.
The cyclone was weakening as it moved northwards through Bangladesh but still unleashed heavy rains and fierce winds in Cox's Bazar, the district which houses about one million Rohingya refugees from violence in Myanmar.
Reports mentioned that 5,500 houses were damaged in one district of West Bengal.
The authorities had prepared for the cyclone but it hit harder than expected. Communal shelters were extended in terms of space, to reduce the risk of coronavirus and crowding. Face masks and social distancing is made mandatory.
More than three million people were evacuated from coastal villages in both countries.
There has been a power outage since the storm began its landfall at 2:30 pm on Wednesday, with sustained wind speeds of 155-165 km/ph spiralling up to 185 km/ph. The storm weakened as it moved ahead and is currently centred over Bangladesh.
Kolkata was one of the worst-hit and people have been stuck in flooded streets and drowning cars according to the footage that was released on Indian television.
"The impact of Amphan is worse than coronavirus," Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal has said, while confirming 12 deaths in the West Bengal.
"Thousands of mud huts have been levelled, trees uprooted, roads washed away and crops destroyed," she said.
News agency Associated Press also reported 10 deaths in Bengal.
“We are facing three crises: the coronavirus, the thousands of migrants who are returning home and now the cyclone,” said Banerjee.
Amphan is the strongest cyclone to have originated from the Bay of Bengal in decades. High winds and torrid rains triggered by the cyclone’s movement pounded villages and cities in coatal Odisha and West Bengal, bringing down power lines, uprooting trees and inundating homes.
Amphan is a Thai name that means sky.
The cyclone was weakening as it moved northwards through Bangladesh but still unleashed heavy rains and fierce winds in Cox's Bazar, the district which houses about one million Rohingya refugees from violence in Myanmar.
Reports mentioned that 5,500 houses were damaged in one district of West Bengal.
The authorities had prepared for the cyclone but it hit harder than expected. Communal shelters were extended in terms of space, to reduce the risk of coronavirus and crowding. Face masks and social distancing is made mandatory.
More than three million people were evacuated from coastal villages in both countries.