“Roanu” Made Landfall in Bangladesh
The deadly tropical cyclone Roanu today made landfall in Bangladesh, just north of Chittagong. It left a trail of destruction as it claimed the lives of five people in the southern part of Bangladesh.
Packed with heavy downpour and gusting winds, the cyclone destroyed coastal embankments and triggered landslides across Bangladesh.
The India Meteorological Department estimated Roanu’s maximum sustained winds were 80-90 kph at landfall, with wind gusts up to 110 kph.
Cyclone Expected to Cause Flooding and Landslides
As deadly cyclone “Roanu” made landfall in southern Bangladesh, Northeastern India, Myanmar and Bangladesh remain at risk of the threat of flooding and landslides.
According to AccuWeather, the threat for flooding will further expand from Bangladesh to northeastern India and western and northern Myanmar.
Accuweather reported that houses collapsed, and a storm surge broke embankments in two places in Chittagong.
In northeastern India, the following areas are at risk of flooding: Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, and eastern parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Bangladesh Relocates Residents
Bangladesh was forewarned about the deadly cyclone. As part of the disaster preparedness efforts, authorities in Bangladesh relocated about 500,000 people into 3,500 homes.
Heavy downpours are expected to cause storm surges as well. To avoid casualties, authorities relocated around 60,000 people to cyclone shelters following a warning that an expected storm surge 4-5 feet above normal tide levels may flood villages and coastal towns.
Expect Widespread Rainfall
According to weather forecasters, widespread rainfall totals of 150-300 mm (6-12 inches) are expected this weekend. This report stirred concerns among citizens. The likelihood of life-threatening flooding and landslides is high.
Before Bangladesh, Cyclone Roanu Hit Sri Lanka
“Roanu” made headlines for causing deadly flooding and mudslides in Sri Lanka earlier this week. Report say more than 60 people were killed as the cyclone was packed with deadly lightning and heavy rain. Mudslides also left hundreds missing in the central district of Kegalle.
Record of Cyclones in Bangladesh
Cyclones are not something new in Bangladesh. In 2015, Tropical Cyclone Komen caused a heavy downpour that dumped more than 1 meter (3 feet) of rain to parts of eastern Bangladesh, resulting in mass flooding and mudslides. Cyclone Komen claimed at least 200 lives and destroyed 55,000 homes.
