State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief, Md Enamur Rahaman, said, “The Sunderbans have repeatedly saved us from natural calamities and I will ask relevant quarters to take proper care of the forest and plant new trees.”
The state minister made the comment during a media briefing on cyclone Bulbul at the Secretariat on Sunday (Nov 10).
The average wind power of the cyclone was 40-90 km and the weather will begin to improve Sunday afternoon and Monday may be a sunny day, said the minister and thanked the media for doing its part in raising awareness among the people.
This year, 2.1 million people were evacuated to safety and Tk 500,000 was sent to 14 districts under threat along with adequate storage of dry food; the navy and coast guard also performed their duties; in Patuakhali, they rescued 100 fishermen, the minister informed.
So far, we have received news of two deaths, 30 injured and damage to 5,000 to 6,000 homes.
Talking about post disaster rehabilitation, the state minister said, “We will go for inspection from tomorrow (Monday), the district administration and UNOs are assessing the extent of the damage.”
In the past, people were reluctant to come to rescue centers but this time we forced some people to come to disaster shelters; AL government has improved management and security of shelters with special facilities for pregnant women and children.
Director of the weather department, Shamsuddin Ahmed said, “Bulbul emanated from the Andaman Sea and entered Bangladesh through Khulna; we issued a number ten danger signal but later, the cyclone weakened. During the storm, Mongla experienced 159mm rainfall.”
Relief Secretary Shah Kamal observed, “We managed to give shelter to the highest number of people this time.”
To avoid the cyclone, 150 fishermen, 50 workers and 190 members of the army took shelter at Bhashan Char and they have been reported to be safe, he added, saying, “Next time, in case of natural disasters, we shall use Bhashan Char."
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