Cyclone Amphan: Residents being evacuated from the coast and hills in Chattogram

Residents of coastal areas and hills of Chattogram are being shifted to shelters to protect them from super cyclone Amphan. 

From Tuesday morning, the district administration began taking residents of coastal areas to shelters, and made announcements by loudspeaker in the hill areas asking residents to clear out as soon as possible.

Executive Magistrate Md Touhidul Islam said about 300 families from the coastal area of Kattli Jale para were being taken to shelter, adding, "locals are being evacuated from other coastal areas, including Patenga."

According to the administration, thousands of families have been living in 18 risky hills in the city, however, unofficially, this number is even higher. Most of the people in the Batali Hill, Motijharna and Bayezid areas of the city live at risk in the hills.

District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Sajeeb Kumar Chakraborty told The Business Standard that 1,770 shelters have been opened in Chattogram and 4,046 shelters are ready. 

Relief items include 300 tonnes of rice, five lakh rupees in GR cash, three thousand packets of dry food, three lakh Takas worth of baby food and one lakh Takas worth of cattle feed, he added.

Moreover, 6,060 CPC volunteers, 8,000 Red Crescent volunteers and 360 scout volunteers are ready for rescue work. Along with that, 284 medical teams and necessary medicines have been stockpiled in Chattogram.

"All preparations have been made to deal with the cyclone. Residents of coastal areas are being evacuated to shelters, and rescue teams are ready to assist in the post-cyclone rescue effort," said Deputy Commissioner of Chattogam Elias Hossain. 

He added that due to the coronavirus outbreak they have doubled the number of shelters this time. 

Government institutions of the district have been made into shelters, and people at the shelters are having to maintain social distancing.