A gigantic cyclone is moving towards India and Bangladesh. Two million people are currently being brought to emergency shelters. On Wednesday afternoon the hurricane should reach the coasts.
- A huge cyclone is currently approaching India and Bangladesh .
- More than two million people are now said to find shelter in emergency shelters.
- But in Corona * times, evacuation is even more difficult than usual. On Wednesday afternoon (local time) the cyclone should reach the coasts.
New Delhi / Dhaka - wind speeds of up to 185 km / h , waves up to 15 meters high and a lot of rain - this is currently threatening more than two million people in India and Bangladesh . Cyclone "Amphan" is moving towards the two countries and, according to the Indian Meteorological Service, has been one of the worst storms in the region in the past 20 years. The endangered people are now to be brought to emergency shelters.
Super cyclone is said to hit the coast of West Bengal and Bangladesh - millions of people in danger
According to weather forecasts from both countries, the storm will hit the mainland between the east Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh on Wednesday afternoon (local time) . The first pictures were already on the Internet on Wednesday morning in Central European time - and they show threatening conditions.
Super cyclone AMPHAN has reached the coast of India with gusts of over 200 kilometers per hour. During the day the hurricane moves further north to Calcutta. More in the WetterTicker: https://t.co/Q2aq5DuIz5 pic.twitter.com/MEpKiG4FgK
- wetteronline.de (@WetterOnline) May 20, 2020The whirlwind is said to affect densely populated cities such as Kolkata (15 million inhabitants), coastal regions with numerous poorly built huts and the Rohingya refugee camp with more than one million inhabitants. In addition, authorities in both countries assume that tracks, roads and telecommunication masts will be destroyed. Because they feared for their belongings, some people would not have wanted to leave their homes despite the danger.
The large evacuation is further complicated by the corona crisis . The authorities of India and Bangladesh have reported that they have provided more emergency shelters than usual in comparable storms to keep their distance *. Currently empty schools or government buildings are also used. However, it was difficult to find more buildings, as some emergency shelters were currently used as quarantine * buildings or temporary accommodations for stranded migrant workers. Masks * and disinfectants * would be distributed in the facilities.
According to Indian civil protection, the Syper cyclone is a double challenge in Corona times
In a village in West Bengal, people prepare for the cyclone by building protective walls . "We fill sand in sacks and use it to build a dam to keep the sea water out of our place," said a villager the day before, according to a newsreel report, to TV journalists from the Reuters news agency. Another villager said that she fled to a collective shelter because she "didn't want to stay in our house in the middle of the storm with fear".
In India and Bangladesh, villagers are evacuated due to the hurricane.
© dpa / Mehaboob Gazi
The super cyclone is a double challenge right now , said SN Pradhan, head of national civil protection in India, according to the Tagesschau report . “For the first time, we have to deal with two disasters at the same time . Infections from the corona virus in India are still increasing. And now the cyclone is coming towards us, in the midst of the Covid 19 crisis. ”
Cyclones occur repeatedly in the Gulf of Bengal and in some cases they cost many lives and cause great damage. In 1999, around 10,000 people died in a large cyclone . Experts believe that wind strength has tended to increase in recent years due to climate change. In recent years, however, the number of victims has generally been smaller, as there are now more good emergency shelters and evacuation plans.
In Germany's other parts of Europe a storm also hit the ground a few weeks ago. "Sabine" caused numerous damages and temporarily paralyzed the infrastructure. But it cannot be compared to the cyclone that is currently raging across India.
By the way: You can also read about how storms, cyclones and hurricanes differ at Merkur.de *.
cia with dpa material
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
Rubric list picture: © dpa / Debarchan Chatterjee
