Deadly cyclone leaves millions homeless in India, Bangladesh
More than 85 killed as flooded Kolkata battles to fix power and communications
Wide swaths of coastal India and Bangladesh were flooded and millions were without power yesterday as Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm to hit the region in more than a decade, killed over 85 people and cut a path of destruction that is still being assessed.
Many parts of the Indian metropolis of Kolkata, home to more than 14 million people, were under water, and its airport was closed briefly. Roads were littered with uprooted trees and lamp posts, electricity and communication lines were down and centuries-old buildings were damaged.
Amphan made landfall late on Wednesday with heavy rain and sustained winds of 170 km/h and gusts of up to 190 km/h. It devastated coastal villages, knocking down mud houses, tearing down utility poles and uprooting trees. At least 74 people were killed in India, with most of the deaths in West Bengal, which includes Kolkata. Bangladesh reported 13 deaths.
More than a million people remained without electricity in Bangladesh, where hundreds of villages were flooded.
In India’s Odisha, the cyclone destroyed crops of betel, a leaf used as a wrapper for chewing areca nut or tobacco. In Bangladesh’s southwestern district of Bagerhat, more than 500 fish farms were flooded.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced Rs 10 billion fund for restoration work. “Till now, 500,000 people have been evacuated and eight districts severely impacted,” she said.
Apowerful cyclone killed more than 85 people in India and Bangladesh, flattening tens of thousands of homes and battering the metropolis of Kolkata after it roared ashore on Wednesday.
The Indian state of West Bengal bore the brunt of the storm’s fury. Two low-lying districts in the state suffered widespread destruction of homes, crops and infrastructure, while its capital, Kolkata, witnessed torrential rains and winds of up to 100 miles an hour.
At least 72 people died in West Bengal, 15 of them in Kolkata. Many were crushed by falling trees or electrocuted by downed power lines.
Cyclone Amphan left a “trail of devastation,” said Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal. She said she had never seen a similar disaster in the state. The chief minister also announced a compensation of Rs 250,000 for the family members of each of the deceased.
A metropolis of 15 million people known for its crumbling charm, Kolkata awoke yesterday to waterlogged streets filled with debris, power outages and the sight of huge trees toppled over onto cars and buses, crumpling them like tin cans.
Goutam Pradhan spent a sleepless night on the third floor of his 35-year-old family home in Kolkata after water began flooding in from the street and the electricity went out. The howling wind shattered the upstairs windows, scattering shards of glass onto his 9-yearold daughter.
“I have never seen such
scenes in my entire life,” said the 47-year-old lab technician. “I was scared for my life and for my family’s life.”
Tidal surge
The storm began over the Bay of Bengal as one of the strongest tropical cyclones recorded in the northern Indian Ocean. Although it weakened as it approached land, it brought powerful winds, driving rain and a huge tidal surge.
About 3 million people were evacuated from their homes in India and Bangladesh before the storm’s arrival. Both countries are battling rising numbers of coronavirus cases, and some evacuees feared that they might contract the virus during hours stuck inside emergency shelters.
In Bangladesh, at least 16 people were killed and more than 55,000 homes collapsed, authorities said. The storm’s path did not bring it directly over one of the world’s most vulnerable refugee populations: Instead, it passed northwest of Cox’s Bazar, which meant that about a million Rohingya living in crowded camps were spared its worst effects.
It will take time to reach a full assessment of the storm’s impact, Indian authorities said. About 500,000 people in West Bengal were still in emergency shelters, said S.N. Pradhan of the National Disaster Response Force, because roads were impassable or homes were damaged. Banerjee said “Bengal never loses any fight. I assure them that the government will support them.”
The loss of dwellings and crops, coming after two months of a nationwide lockdown that has left millions of Indians without an income, risks pushing those affected by the storm into destitution.
Yesterday, Cyclone Amphan had dissipated as it moved north but was still unloading torrential rainfall that could exceed a foot in some areas.
Deepanjana Dey, a journalist from Kolkata, witnessed the impact of the cyclone in one of the worst-hit districts, South 24 Parganas. It sits directly on the Bay of Bengal and is home to a vast mangrove forest.
“The mud houses have been flattened, there are cable wires and fallen trees everywhere,” said Dey, 33. “It is a devastating sight.”
Till now, 500,000 people have been evacuated, and about eight districts have been severely impacted. Rs 10 billion fund has been created from the state fund though we are already having a shortage of funds.”
Mamata Banerjee
| Chief Minister of West Bengal