Cyclone Amphan: Bangladesh shifts over 2 million people to storm shelters

Bangladesh has shifted over two million people to storm shelters to avoid casualties due to cyclone ‘Amphan’ which is set to make landfall on May 20 evening. The military has been deployed to tackle the super cyclone as the authorities raised the alert level for some coastal districts to “great danger”.

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman has reportedly said that the cyclone is expected to make landfall around 6pm. Bangladeshi Navy has deployed 25 ships and two maritime patrol aircraft to conduct emergency search and rescue operations over the Bay of Bengal and coastal districts in the aftermath of the super cyclone.

The meteorologists are banking on Sundarbans to absorb the main brunt of the super cyclone as it has done in the past several times. Bangladesh's Meteorology Department Director Shamsuddin Ahmed reportedly said that the Sunderbans, world’s largest mangrove forest, always absorbed the brunt of cyclones alongside the Bangladesh-India coastline and they are expecting the forest to face the initial impact of Amphan.

Read: Cyclone Amphan: Netizens Share Incredible Pictures Ahead Of Landfall

'Strongest cyclone ever recorded'

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Amphan is now the strongest cyclone ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal, surpassing the 1999 Odisha super cyclone at 260kmph. The word 'Amphan', pronounced "Um-pun" means "sky" and was suggested by Thailand back in 2004. The names are chosen from a list by a host of member countries part of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), a specialised agency within the UN's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. (ESCAP). 

Originally formed in 1972, the ESCAP panel included Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. However, in 2018, the panel expanded to include five more countries from West Asia - Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen. With the inclusion of the new States, the list now has 169 names, enabling all 13 member countries to suggest 13 names each. 

Read: Cyclone Amphan's Landfall Imminent, May Maintain Intensity Till May 21 Then Slow Down

(With PTI inputs | Image: AP)