Government officials worked hard to make decisions that would keep people safe from both the storm and the virus, but in some cases, these were competing priorities . Super Cyclone Amphan has now weakened into a deep depression, losing steam rapidly after landfall. Cyclone Amphan causes havoc in India and Bangladesh The eastern Indian city of Kolkata has been devastated by a powerful cyclone which has … While the Centre has so far provided Rs 1,000 crore financial assistance to the Bengal government to fight the devastation caused by the Super Cyclone, the … Cyclone Amphan is a disaster bigger than Covid-19, said Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of the east Indian state of West Bengal. Amphan is just the second super cyclone to hit the Bay of Bengal since records began. Nisarga was the second cyclone to strike the Indian subcontinent within two weeks time, after Cyclone Amphan, the first super cyclonic storm to have formed in the Bay of Bengal in the 21st century, devastated the state of West Bengal in May 2020. The only difference is where they form. Last modified on Thu 21 May 2020 06.47 BST. Two states- … The West Bengal capital, Kolkata, awoke to flooded streets with some cars window-deep in water. Learn more about cyclones here. In southwest Bangladesh, a 1.5 metre surge broke an embankment and swamped farmland, police said. Cyclone Amphan has strengthened to the equivalent of a strong Category 4 Atlantic hurricane, or a super typhoon in the West Pacific. It’s not just families in India who need your support right now. Falling trees and chunks of concrete carried by the powerful winds were also blamed for the deaths in India. Super Cyclone formations are very rare in the Indian Ocean region but you might have observed a very frequent formation of Cyclones in tropical latitudes. Together with our partner Habitat for Humanity India, we have been supporting 1,400 families in the Sundarban Islands, one of the areas worst hit by Amphan. In mid-May, Cyclone Amphan tore through coastal regions of Bangladesh and north-east India. Families have received shelter kits to enable them to repair or replace damaged and destroyed homes. Thousands of homes have been damaged, and further heavy rains and thunderstorms are continuing to batter the affected areas. Super cyclone ''Amphan'' weakened into an extremely severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday as it moved closer to the coast, triggering rainfall in several … The MeT department stated that Cyclone Amphan, formed in the Bay of Bengal with Odisha and West Bengal in its crosshairs, is likely to become a super cyclone in 12 hours. The name Amphan was chosen by Thailand in 2004. It destroyed houses and crops, and cut power supplies to cities and towns. During the last super cyclone in 1999, nearly 15,000 villages … From Syria, to Ethiopia, to the Philippines – conflicts, disasters and coronavirus have left thousands homeless and vulnerable. Though there have been two or three super cylones in the past, Super Cyclone Amphan is only the second after the Odisha Super Cyclone of 1999 to form in the North Indian Ocean. A panel, made up of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Maldives, Oman, Sri Lanka and Thailand, names cyclones in the region. Enamur Rahman, Bangladesh’s junior minister for disaster management, said 2.4 million people and over half a million livestock were brought to shelters. It destroyed houses and crops, and cut power supplies to cities and towns. This was a choice faced by millions of people in mid-May, as historic super-cyclone Amphan made landfall in eastern India and Bangladesh. It began by hitting the Sundarbans, around the India-Bangladesh border, before moving towards the historic city of Kolkata. People have been struggling to rebuild lost livelihoods and find reliable food sources. Super Cyclone Amphan is forecast to make landfall Wednesday morning near the border of the two countries. You can give people shelter by supporting us today. It was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike the River Ganges Delta since 1999. It brought a storm surge – a wall of ocean water that is often one of the main killers in major weather systems – that roared inland. "It intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm at 2:30am today. SHELTERBOX IS A CHARITY, INDEPENDENT OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL AND THE ROTARY FOUNDATION. Families in the states of West Bengal and Odisha were affected the worst. Millions of people lost their home, at a time when they needed it the most to protect from coronavirus. Strong winds tore down electricity pylons, walls and buildings, with full scale of damage still being estimated, Thu 21 May 2020 06.43 BST Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes are all tropical storms. In 1999 super cyclone left nearly 10,000 dead in India’s Odisha state, eight years after a typhoon, tornadoes and flooding killed 139,000 in Bangladesh. India evacuated more than 650,000 in West Bengal and Odisha. Bangladesh officials said eight people had died, including a five-year-old boy and a 75-year-old man, both hit by falling trees, and a cyclone emergency volunteer who drowned. Authorities in both countries sent masks and sanitiser but social distancing was virtually impossible as families packed into reinforced schools, government buildings and community halls. Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan is about 730 km nearly south of Paradip (Odisha), 890 km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal) and 1010 km south-southwest of Khepupara (Bangladesh). Forecasters warn of extensive damage from … Finally, it made landfall in the evening hours of 20th May 2020 through … Amphan was the first “super cyclone” to form over the Bay of Bengal since 1999, and packed winds gusting up to 185km/h at sea. This includes single-parent households, communities marginalised from society and those living in extreme poverty. We have supported families in India who have been badly affected by the devastating cyclone. Coronavirus is a deadly risk for vulnerable families who have lost their homes. Super Cyclone Amphan tracker: India and Bangladesh brace for catastrophic 115mph storm India and Bangladesh were evacuating millions as Cyclone Amphan approached from the Bay of … All rights reserved. Distributions are now complete. May. Amphan, qualified as the first Super Cyclone of the century in the Bay of Bengal damages almost the en re South 24 Parganas district due to its huge wind speed and … Cyclone Amphan is … On May 20, Super Cyclone Amphan was expected to make landfall in the Indian state of West Bengal. Amphan was the first “super cyclone” to form over the Bay of Bengal since 1999, and packed winds gusting up to 185km/h at sea. It was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike the River Ganges Delta since 1999. © 2021 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Such walls of water can cascade several kilometres inland and are often the main killers in major weather systems. The Odisha Super Cyclone remains the strongest cyclone in the history of cyclones in this region,” said Mohapatra. But shelter can save lives by: By slowing the spread of the virus, shelter can save lives. In India alone, 1.7 million homes were destroyed. That morning, as the wind picked up, Mitali Mondol and … Forecasters also warned there could be storm surges of several metres. We have prioritised vulnerable families who need help the most. The name ‘Amphan’ means ‘sky’. Amphan hit Sundarbans on Wednesday evening as a Very Severe Storm with a … These everyday items will help people keep themselves safe from coronavirus and begin to think about the future. New Delhi: Cyclone Amphan turned in to a "super cyclonic storm" on Monday morning, the weather office said, hours after it intensified in to an "extremely severe cyclonic storm". It is the first super cyclone to form in the Bay of Bengal since 1999. Helping families to self-isolate and stay as healthy as possible, ping to adapt or expand a vulnerable family’s home to ease overcrowding and allow social distancing, Helping to reduce sharing of essential household items between families. NEW DELHI: Global warming can cause marine heatwaves — which played a key role in turning Cyclone Amphan into a super cyclone earlier this … Amphan is packing winds of … The Super Cyclone Amphan is moving over west-central and adjoining central parts of the South Bay of Bengal near latitude 13.7°N and longitude 86.2 °E. The storm wreaked havoc, with winds of up to 185 km/h along with heavy rain and sea surges. Nearly 3m people were evacuated - most of them in Bangladesh - … Amphan is the first super cyclone to hit the region in the last two decades since a super cyclone hit Odisha in 1999 causing widespread damage and loss of life. irus, shelter can save lives. If we act now, we can help limit the spread of coronavirus. The storm, thought to be one of the most powerful in a … Bangladesh’s low-lying coast, home to 30 million people, and India’s east are regularly battered by cyclones that have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in recent decades. 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