Dhaka, 17th May 2013, 1930 hours (GMT +6)
(i) Cyclone Mahasen has passed through Bangladesh coast on 16th May 2013 evening and all the coastal people who came to different cyclone shelters for safety have returned home straightway. Our staffs who were specially deployed to cover the cyclone being pulled off the regular field work have already been advised to get back to their base stations. A learning session will be held tomorrow, 18th May 2013 including all of them to share the cyclone experience for a better preparation in future.
(ii) The primary assessment has been done without any formal format we have asked our colleagues to have an empirical observation through on the spot visit and discussing with the local government leaders. Based on that we are providing following table:
Upazila/islands by regions Death Wounded Houses partly damaged Houses fully damaged
Bhola region: Bhola sadar, Burhanuddin, Daulatkhan, Tazumuddin, Lalmohon, Charfassion and Monpura 4 5 1,720 1,170
Outreach islands: Char Zahiruddin, Char Nizam, Dhalchar, Char Motahar, Char Kukrimukri, Char Kazal and Doshmina 0 0 400 33
Cox’s Bazar region: Kutubdia, Pekua, Chokoria, Moheshkhali, Ramu, Cox’s Bazar sadar, Ukhia, Teknaf and St Martin island. 0 0 17 0
The brief descriptions on the 4 people who have died in the cyclone are as follows:
Kashem, son Chan Miah, age 80, inhabitant of Dholigarh union, Lalmohon. He has died by a tree fall upon him on the way to cyclone shelter.
Parvez, son of Md Alamgir, age 6, Rasulpur union, Charfassion upazila, has died by a tree fall on their house during the cyclone.
Rafiqul Islam, son of Late Fazar Ali, age 65, who has also died by a tree fall upon him while running to the cyclone shelter, it was in Dhalchar union.
Nipa, daughter of Mohammad Rafique, age 10, who used to inhabit in Char Kukri Mukri got injured first by a tree fall upon her while running towards a shelter and later died.
(iii) It could be inferred that, the cyclone alerts were not announced earlier enough to let people take shelter much before the cyclone got the landfall. All of them died by tree fall while they were on the way to the cyclone shelters. In fact, according to the government forecast was announced the cyclone was likely to hit Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar and therefore, Bhola island and outreach islands has given less importance in respect of preparation.
