Recently, Cyclone Remal made landfall in Bangladesh’s and India’s coastal districts, bringing with it intense winds and rain. At least 16 deaths have been linked to the storm in Bangladesh and India. Almost 800,000 people in Bangladesh had to be evacuated, and hundreds of thousands more lost their electricity as coastal villages flooded.
The storm also had an effect on West Bengal, India, when a wall collapse unfortunately claimed one person’s life. As the hurricane reached the eastern shores, a significant number of people were evacuated in both nations, numbering in the millions.
After intensifying into a cyclonic storm, the cyclone’s wind speed decreased to 80–90 kmph (50–60 mph).
Cyclone Remal’s consequences serve as a reminder of how susceptible coastal areas are to these kinds of natural disasters and how crucial it is to take preventative and response measures in order to lessen their effects.
What are the reason ?
Cyclone Remal formed over the Bay of Bengal due to a combination of favorable environmental conditions:
- A depression, an area of low pressure characterized by circulating winds and atmospheric instability, developed over the central Bay of Bengal, serving as the genesis for Cyclone Remal.
- The Bay of Bengal experiences water temperatures 2-3°C warmer than average, providing the energy needed for cyclones to form and intensify.
- The Madden Julian Oscillation, a band of clouds moving eastward along with the winds and warm ocean waters, is currently moving south of the Bay of Bengal. These winds play a role in initiating cyclones due to their rotational effect.
- The shallow bathymetry (underwater depth) and the funnel-shaped geography of the northern Bay of Bengal can amplify the intensity of the cyclone as it approaches the coast, increasing the risk of storm surges and flooding.
- The cyclone was named ‘Remal’ by Oman, meaning ‘sand’ in Arabic, as part of the naming convention agreed upon by the Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
What effect did Cyclone Remal have on the places that it passed through?
Based on the search results, the impact of Cyclone Remal on the affected areas in Bangladesh and India was significant:
Fatalities: The cyclone claimed at least 16 lives, with 10 deaths reported in Bangladesh and 6 in West Bengal, India.
Evacuations: Nearly 800,000 people were evacuated from coastal regions in Bangladesh, while around 150,000 were evacuated in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Flooding and Damage: Coastal villages were flooded, with numerous flood protection embankments either washed away or damaged by storm surges. Thatched houses and farmlands in low-lying areas were inundated, and trees were uprooted, causing widespread destruction.
Power Outages: Hundreds of thousands were left without electricity due to damaged power infrastructure, including uprooted electricity poles and transformers.
Disruption to Transportation: Air, rail, and road travel were significantly disrupted, with the Kolkata airport suspending operations for 21 hours and affecting 394 flights. Suburban train services and metro operations were also disrupted.
Economic Impact: Major ports in Bangladesh and India were forced to suspend operations, and the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata also halted activities.
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