Bijli poised to cross coasts

This Met office image made yesterday evening shows Bijli's path towards Bangladesh coast. Courtesy: Met Office
Star ReportCyclone Bijli was fast advancing towards the coast of Bangladesh around midnight yesterday over the Bay of Bengal, about to make landfall at any moment.

The Met office had asked Chittagong seaport to raise warning signal number seven while Cox's Bazar had been asked to raise signal number six, and Mongla number five in the evening, as the season's first cyclonic storm approached the coast.

"It is likely to weaken gradually and move in a north or north-easterly direction and may cross Chittagong, Cox's Bazar by midnight," a special weather bulletin read at 8:00pm.

Wind was gusty with a speed between 70 km to 90 km within a radius of 54 km of the storm's eye.

Waves up to five to seven feet higher than usual were buffeting the shore. Operations of Chittagong and Mongla ports were suspended following the warning signals, including goods handling activities at all jetties.

"Initially it was going towards the Meghna estuary. But later it changed the course and now moving towards the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar coast," said the forecasting officer of the met office last night.

Reports received from our correspondents in coastal districts including Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Feni, Laxmipur, and Bhola said it was drizzling almost all through the day and the sea was very rough.

The local administrations already took precautionary preparations and cautioned people through megaphones. Trained volunteers of the government's Cyclone Preparedness Programme and the Red Crescent were busy evacuating the coastal areas, said administration sources.

According to our correspondents, thousands of people took shelter at safer places, and thousands of trawlers and boats moved to safer positions following the cautionary advice.

Around 9:00pm, the cyclone was around 235 km southwest off Chittagong Port, 215 km off Cox's Bazar and 125 km south-southwest off Mongla Port, said the special bulletin of the met office.

Cox's Bazar and offshore islands and chars (shoals) were under danger signal number six.

The coastal districts of Patuakhali, Barguna, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira, and their offshore islands and chars were under danger signal number five.

The bulletin said the sea would remain very rough and all fishing boats and trawlers over the north bay were advised to remain in shelters till further notice.

All inland river ports were also asked to raise cautionary signal number three, and all passenger trawlers of inland waterways were asked to stop operating till further notice. A control room was opened at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority's (BIWTA) Motijheel office in the capital to collect and disseminate information about the cyclone.

Our Chittagong office added that all out preparations were taken there as the meteorological department asked to hoist maritime signal number seven for the district.

The district authorities already had hundreds of trained volunteers prepared for the situation.

Sources said the district administration along with other authorities and organisations remained busy in evacuation and rehabilitation activities under the Cyclone Preparedness Programme.

To rehabilitate the people of the coastal areas there are 457 cyclone shelters in the district, 56 of which are in the city, the sources added.

Meanwhile, Chittagong Port Authority and Chittagong City Corporation set up a number of control rooms in the city.

Our correspondent from Cox's Bazar reported that the sea was rough while the water level rose seven to eight feet higher than the normal tidal water level. Lower parts of the coast were inundated due to the very high tide.

The weather remained gloomy and it was drizzling all day in Cox's Bazar coastal areas. Stormy wind blew over different parts of Teknaf, Maheshkhali, and Kutubdia, damaging around 12 huts and 50 betel leaf fields.

A vast amount of salt was also damaged in Teknaf due to incessant drizzling for two days.

The weather was also drizzly in Khulna, Bagerhat, Barguna, Barisal, Gopalganj, Patuakhali, Jhalakathi, Noakhali and Chandpur all through yesterday. District administrations of those areas also cautioned people about the approaching storm.