4,000 shelters ready in coastal areas to combat Cyclone Remal: State minister

About 4,000 shelters and 78,000 volunteers are ready in the coastal areas to face Cyclone Remal, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Mohibbur Rahman said today (25 May).

"Cyclone Remal may hit the coast of Bangladesh early morning on Sunday. To avoid casualties, ports will be asked to hoist a great danger signal 10 from tonight," the minister told journalists after a meeting at the secretariat.

Mohibbur Rahman added that the coastal areas from Cox's Bazar to Satkhira may be more impacted by Cyclone Remal. Storm surges of seven to eight feet are possible. There will be a lot of rain so there is a danger of landslides in the hilly areas. The ministry has made all preparations to deal with the cyclone.

"All coastal districts have been asked to prepare for the cyclone. Based on the forecast received so far, special instructions have been given to the districts of Satkhira, Bagerhat, Khulna, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola to be more prepared," the minister said adding that people will be brought to shelters as soon as danger signals are issued by the met office. 

The meeting briefed a number of issues, including keeping control rooms open at all levels, preparing shelters, making arrangements for bringing people to shelters, taking initiative to make people aware through various campaigns and using toll free number "1090" to get disaster information.

Shelters prepared in Bagerhat, Cox's Bazar

The district administration of Bagerhat has prepared 359 shelters to combat Cyclone Remal. 

Bagerhat Deputy Commissioner Khalid Hossain said, "A total of 359 shelters and 3,505 volunteers are ready to face Cyclone Remal. Additionally, Tk5.5 lakh and 643 tonnes of rice are arranged for emergency relief activities." 

Also, Coast Guard members have been conducting awareness campaigns on the coastal areas of the district since this morning. 

Meanwhile, Cox's Bazar district administration has prepared 638 shelters to deal with Cyclone Remal. 

Besides, 8,600 volunteers and 2,200 Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) workers have been kept ready to participate in emergency work, Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Shaheen Imran said.

According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the depression over the central Bay of Bengal may intensify into a cyclonic storm by this afternoon and a 'severe cyclonic storm' by tonight.

Mostofa Kamal Palash, a PhD researcher in meteorology and climate, said Cyclone Remal is highly likely [over 90% chance] to hit Bangladesh's coastal regions, including the Satkhira, Bagerhat, Khulna, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, and Bhola districts, and the South 24 Parganas district of India's West Bengal with its maximum intensity.