Earth Science News
SHAKE AND BLOW
Deadly Bangladesh cyclone one of longest seen
Deadly Bangladesh cyclone one of longest seen
By Mohammad MAZED and Shafiqul ALAM in Dhaka
Patuakhali, Bangladesh (AFP) May 28, 2024

Bangladeshi weather experts said Tuesday that a deadly cyclone that carved a swathe of destruction was one of the quickest-forming and longest-lasting they'd experienced, blaming climate change for the shift.

Cyclone Remal, which made landfall in low-lying Bangladesh and neighbouring India on Sunday evening with fierce gales and crashing waves, left at least 23 people dead, destroyed thousands of homes, smashed seawalls and flooded cities across the two countries.

"In terms of its land duration, it is one of the longest in the country's history," Azizur Rahman, director of the state-run Bangladesh Meteorological Department told AFP, adding it had battered the country for more than 36 hours.

In contrast, Cyclone Aila, which hammered Bangladesh in 2009, lasted around 34 hours.

Cyclones have killed hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh in recent decades, and the number of superstorms hitting its densely populated coast has increased sharply, from one a year to as many as three, due to the impact of climate change.

Slow-moving -- and therefore longer-lasting -- storms bring greater destruction.

"I've seen many storms in my life but nothing like this cyclone", said Asma Khatun, an 80-year-old widow who lives with her son, a fisherman in Bangladesh's hard-hit coastal town of Patuakhali.

"Before, the storm came and went away... now it doesn't seem to go away. The incessant pouring and heavy wind kept us stuck for days".

- 'Impact of climate change' -

Rahman said the cyclone triggered massive rains, with some cities receiving at least 200 millimetres (7.9 inches).

Storm surges breached multiple embankments, meaning seawater flooded into farmland, damaged freshwater fish farms common along the coast, or corrupted drinking water.

Bangladesh's state minister for disaster Mohibbur Rahman said 3.75 million people had been affected by the cyclone, more than 35,000 homes were destroyed, and another 115,000 damaged.

"We don't know where to go," said Setara Begum, 75, surveying the wreckage of her home after its tin roof was ripped off.

Azizur Rahman said the cyclone formed more quickly than almost all the cyclones they have monitored in recent decades.

"Of course, quick cyclone formation and the long duration of cyclones are due to the impact of climate change," Rahman said.

"It took three days for it to turn into a severe cyclone from low pressure in the Bay of Bengal... I've never seen a cyclone formed from a low pressure in such a quick time," he said.

"Usually, a cyclone is formed in the south and southwest of the Bay of Bengal, then takes seven to eight days to turn into a severe cyclone."

- Drowned, electrocuted, crushed -

But while scientists say climate change is fuelling more storms, better forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have dramatically reduced death tolls.

Around a million people in Bangladesh and neighbouring India fled inland seeking safety -- but many people preferred to stay put to guard their homes.

In Bangladesh, Cyclone Remal killed at least 17 people, according to the disaster management office and police, who reported Tuesday the additional deaths of a husband and wife, "crushed under stacks of bricks" when their house collapsed.

Some drowned. Others were killed by debris, falling trees or electrocuted by falling power lines.

Thousands of electricity poles were torn down, and power is out across large areas, said Biswanath Sikder, chief engineer of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board.

"More than 20 million people are without electricity," Sikder told AFP. "We are working hard to bring around 50 percent of these affected people by Tuesday evening."

In India, six people died, West Bengal state officials said.

But the worst impact was stemmed by the expansive Sundarbans mangrove forest straddling Bangladesh and India -- where the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers meet the sea, Bangladesh's state weather department said.

The crucial sea-water coastal forests help dissipate the violence of such storms.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned this month that half of the world's mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse due to climate change, deforestation and pollution.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SHAKE AND BLOW
Scores dead after cyclone batters Bangladesh and India
Patuakhali (AFP) May 27, 2024
Residents of low-lying areas of Bangladesh and India surveyed the damage on Monday as an intense cyclone that lashed the coast weakened into a heavy storm after killing at least 16 people, damaging homes and uprooting trees. Fierce gales and crashing waves battered the coast as Cyclone Remal made landfall on Sunday night, but by midday on Monday, the winds had eased. "At least 10 people have died in the cyclone," Zahid Hossain Khan, a spokesman of the disaster management ministry, told AFP ... read more

SHAKE AND BLOW
UN chief says 'obscene' that small islands pay climate consequences

Xi says China 'deeply pained' by 'severe' Gaza situation

Tribal violence, rain and mosquitoes: making sense of the PNG landslide

Pier damage forces suspension of US aid shipments to Gaza: Pentagon

SHAKE AND BLOW
Cool by design 3D printing

Musk plans largest-ever supercomputer for xAI startup: report

Virginia Tech Engineers Lower Leidenfrost Effect Temperature

Google to invest $2 bn in Malaysia: government

SHAKE AND BLOW
Panama's first climate change displaced bid their island farewell

Texas team creates first global map of seafloor biodiversity activity

Taiwan's oyster farmers on frontline of China war games

Europe's water contamined by PFAS chemical: NGOs

SHAKE AND BLOW
Successful satellite launch will let NASA measure polar heat loss

For sale: unique piece of land in strategic Arctic archipelago

Climate change key driver of record-low Antarctic sea ice: study

For sale: unique piece of land in strategic Arctic archipelago

SHAKE AND BLOW
China lifts trade bans on Australian beef with 'immediate effect'

Rainy spring weather plagues Bordeaux vines with mildew

Simple food swaps could cut greenhouse gas emissions by a quarter

Brazil farmer who lost everything to floods recalls water's fury

SHAKE AND BLOW
Floating walkways a lifeline for Brazilians after floods

Lava spews again from volcanic eruption in Iceland

Deadly Bangladesh cyclone one of longest seen

12 Indians killed in quarry collapse after cyclone rains

SHAKE AND BLOW
Jailed Burkina army officer abducted day after release

Rights group wants probe into post-coup 'killings' in DR Congo

Mali army says kills 'large number' of jihadists

Nigeria jihadists kill around 30 in reprisal attacks

SHAKE AND BLOW
JK Rowling says regrets not speaking out sooner on trans issues

Record low level of Hong Kong's young adults want children: survey

Can we rid artificial intelligence of bias?

Amazonian chief at UN to combat traditional knowledge piracy

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.