Cyclone Hamoon leaves Ctg, Cox's Bazar in dark
Inland water transportation resumes after 22 hours
Chattogram and Cox's Bazar have been reeling from the aftermath of Cyclone Hamoon that crossed the coastal areas Tuesday night.
Four people have been killed – three in Cox's Bazar and one in Chattogram since last night.
Following gusty winds and rain in the coastal region, many areas are now suffering from power outages, mobile network, and communication disruptions in some roads due to uprooted trees and the destruction of hundreds of houses.
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In Chattogram's Banshkhali upazila, one Momtaz Begum, who was in her 60s, was crushed by a tree while travelling to a cyclone shelter, said deputy director of Chattogram Cyclone Preparedness Programme Hafez Ahmed.
Cyclone Hamoon damaged approximately 6,944 homes. Power transmission has been disrupted in Banshkhali due to the uprooting of 507 power poles. However, no such damage was reported in any other upazilas of Chattogram, he added.
Cox's Bazar
Three people died in Cox's Bazar while hundreds of others were injured during the cyclone that made landfall in the coastal areas around 10pm Tuesday.
"Cyclone Hamun has destroyed 38,000 houses in Cox's Bazar district. At least 480,000 people have been affected in 70 unions and two municipalities under nine upazilas," Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shahin Imran said on Wednesday evening.
"The electricity lines were most damaged in the cyclone. Electricity has been restored in some areas of Cox's Bazar city, but all other affected areas remain without power," he added.
"Mobile network has started to return to normal after 15 hours on Wednesday afternoon. However, the complications in incoming and outgoing phone calls have not been completely resolved," he said.
Abdul Quader Gani, executive engineer of Cox's Bazar Electricity Department, said, "Three sub-stations have been commissioned, after which work has started on the main roads. It will be possible to start an electricity connection on the main road within the next 24 hours. And it will take at least two days to turn on electricity in the entire Cox's Bazar."
Cox's Bazar Municipality Mayor Mahabubur Rahman Chowdhury said that 5,500 houses were destroyed and 9,500 were partially damaged in the city.
"Some 150 families have been given tin and money to build houses in a short time. Others will be given in phases." he added.
Water transportation resumes
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) decided to resume movement on all inland waterways after 22 hours of closure ahead of Cyclone Hamoon's landfall.
Launches began plying all domestic routes from 8am. Apart from this, speedboats and cargo ships also started movement, confirmed Riad Hossain, deputy director of the Naval Safety and Traffic Management Department of Barisal River Port.
Chattogram port also resumed regular operations yesterday as the danger signal was brought down. Other maritime ports were also advised to lower the cautionary signal.
On Wednesday morning, 13 ships from the deep sea were brought to the jetty. The rest of the ships will also be brought back in the afternoon, said Chittagong Port Authority Secretary Md Omar Farooq.
Though the unloading of products was halted for a day, the delivery process was ongoing, he added.
