Khulna's Paikgacha upazila has faced the maximum brunt of cyclone Sitrang, with local farmers notching up huge losses in the natural calamity. Cyclone Sitrang made landfall in the coastal districts on October 24. Though there were no casualties in Paikgacha, crops spread over several hectares and a number of fish enclosures were damaged in incessant rains triggered by the cyclone. Read more:300 sheltered at WildTeam’s Conservation Biology Centre during Sitrang According to various government and private sources, around 112 fishing enclosures, 207 mud houses and crops spread over 187 hectares have been damaged. Paikgacha upazila senior fisheries officer Md Tipu Sultan said that about 6.1 metric tonnes of fish across 112 enclosures, belonging to 83 farmers, have been washed away. In Garuikhali union, fish farmers suffered losses to the tune of Tk 30.71 lakh. "Due to the rains from Sunday night till Tuesday morning, most of the fish enclosures were washed away. Besides, the fish enclosures along the Garh-Ikhali river suffered damages," Tipu said. Md Amirul Azad, senior meteorologist of Khulna Meteorological Office, said the district recorded a total of 229 mm rainfall in 48 hours to Tuesday morning. Read more:Sitrang: Thousands marooned in Barishal city Meanwhile, Paikgacha upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Mumtaz Begum said the local administration was adequately prepared ahead of Sitrang.  "So, the impact of the disaster was less and no specific loss of life and property was reported," she said. "Besides, there were no reports of any embankment collapse in the upazila."

Another cyclone is likely to hit Bangladesh in December, said Bangladesh State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman on Tuesday. According to the information of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), another cyclone may hit the country in the month of December, he said while speaking at a press briefing over the cyclone Sitrang at the Secretariat. “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thanked me over phone on Monday night for taking measures for Cyclone Sitrang and she also asked me that there will be another cyclone which may hit the country in December. She asked me to take precautionary measures like Sitrang,” said the minister. Read:4 lakh coastal people took refuge at Ashrayan homes during Sitrang: PMO The state minister said around 10,000 houses in 419 unions of the country were damaged by cyclone Sitrang that lashed the coastal districts Monday night. Sitrang did not turn into a severe cyclone and crossed the coastal area very quickly, the state minister said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat regarding the aftermath of the cyclone. “We have been able to provide shelter to 10 lakh people in 6,925 cyclone shelters. The cyclone weakened quickly after hitting the coastal districts at 10pm,” said Enamur. People have already left the shelters, he added. Read: Cyclone Sitrang aftermath: 10,000 houses in 419 unions damaged, says state minister The state minister also said nine deaths have so far been reported after the cyclone hit the country, although unofficial counts exceed that number. UNB has so far counted 29 deaths due to the cyclone. Cyclone Sitrang completed its landfall and weakened to a tropical depression over Bangladesh early Tuesday, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Earlier on October 12, Enamur Rahman had told reporters there was "no possibility" of 'Sitrang' hitting the Bangladesh coast, as the depression leading to a cyclone was yet to be formed over the Bay of Bengal - although that is exactly what scientists were predicting. Thereafter he appeared in the media on Sunday, October 23, the eve of the cyclone hitting, to announce that it was after all going to hit Bangladesh, but he announced landfall would be on Tuesday, i.e. today. The cyclone's overall impact on the country was felt throughout Monday, even before it started landfall off the coast in Bhola around 9pm on the day, completing the process, i.e. the eye of the cyclone moving completely over land, by 1am on Tuesday, according to the Meteorology Department.

Bodies of eight workers, who went missing after a dredger sank in the Bay of Bengal as Cyclone Sitrang hit the coastal districts Monday (October 24, 2022) night, were recovered from the Bay off the coast of Mirsarai in Chattogram on Tuesday. Five of the deceased were identified as Mahmud Molla, Alamin, Imam Molla, Abul Bashar and Tarek. They all are from Patuakhali district. Read Cyclone Sitrang kills at least 29 across Bangladesh The sand lifting dredger (Saikat-2) was anchored, with the eight workers on board, in the sea around 1000 feet away from the embankment in Bashundhara area of the upazila and sank in the sea during the storm triggered by Cyclone Sitrang around 10 pm last night, Md Kabir Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Mirsarai Police Station, said. Mirsarai police and fire service divers recovered the bodies from the sunken dredger around 2 pm, the OC added. Read Cyclone Sitrang aftermath: 10,000 houses in 419 unions damaged, says state minister Dredger manager Rezaul Karim said six more dredgers were kept in the area adjacent to the embankment in Bashundhara area. “All the other workers managed to evacuate to a safe place following the cyclone, but the eight workers of the dredger Saikat-2 did not return.”

Around 10,000 houses in 419 unions in Bangladesh were damaged by Cyclone Sitrang that hit the coastal districts Monday (Octover 25, 2022) night, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman said today. Sitrang did not turn into a severe cyclone and crossed the coastal areas quickly, the state minister said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat regarding the aftermath of the cyclone. Read: Sitrang aftermath: Some areas in southern districts still without power “We have been able to provide shelter to 10 lakh people at 6,925 cyclone shelters. Cyclone Sitrang weakened quickly after hitting the coastal districts at 10 pm last night,” said Enamur. People have already left the shelters, he added. The state minister also said nine deaths have so far been reported after Cyclone Sitrang hit the country. Read: Cyclone Sitrang kills at least 16 across Bangladesh Cyclone Sitrang completed its landfall and weakened to a tropical depression over Bangladesh early Tuesday, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

Bangladesh State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said on Tuesday (October 25, 2022) that some 80 lakh (8 million) consumers remained without electricity across the country after Cyclone Sitrang hit Bangladesh. “Of this, some 60 lakh (6 million) are under the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) and the remaining consumers are of other organisations like Nesco and WZPDCO,” he told reporters at his ministry on Tuesday. He noted that power supply to 70 percent of the affected areas will be possible to restore by Tuesday evening while the rest 30 percent will get electricity by Wednesday afternoon. Read: Sitrang aftermath: Some areas in southern districts still without power Currently, the total power consumers are 4.8 crore (48 million) across the country. Nasrul Hamid said the power supply was disrupted mainly by the falling of trees on the transmission and distribution lines. He said that many electric poles were uprooted by the cyclone that caused blackout in many areas. The state minister, however, said the total damage was not calculated yet. Read: Inland water transport operations resume as Sitrang weakens “It will take some more time to get a complete picture of the damages caused by cyclone Sitrang”, he said.

After nearly 21 hours, flight operations at Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, and Barishal airports resumed Tuesday (Oct 25, 2022) at noon. The Civil Aviation Authority issued a notification in this regard on Tuesday. Earlier, flight services to and from the airports were suspended at 3 pm on Monday due to cyclone Sitrang. Read Cyclone Sitrang: Flight operations at Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Barishal airports suspended As a result, several flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US Bangla and NOVOAIR on domestic routes were cancelled. Meanwhile, inland water transport operations resumed this morning after being suspended for around 24 hours due to inclement weather caused by cyclone Sitrang. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has ordered the resumption of vessel operations from 9.45am as all the riverine ports now come under local cautionary signal number 1, said BIWTA public relations officer Mobarak Hossain. Read Cyclone Sitrang: Dhaka-Khulna & Dhaka-Barishal highways reopen after 10 hours Cyclone Sitrang moved north-northeastwards very fast and and now lies over Dhaka-Cumilla-Brahmanbaria and adjoining areas as a land depression, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

At least 29 people died in 11 districts across Bangladesh as Cyclone Sitrang made landfall and crossed Barishal-Chattogram coast on Monday, leaving a trail of destruction. According to reports reaching the UNB desk from its correspondents in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Brahmanbaria, Cumilla, Narail, Sirajganj, Bhola, Barguna, Munshiganj, Noakhali and Gopalganj, most of the casualties were caused by falling trees since Monday morning as Bangladesh experienced moderate to heavy rain throughout the day. In Chattogram, bodies of eight workers, who went missing on Monday night after a dredger sank in the Bay of Bengal, were recovered from the sea off the coast of Mirsarai on Tuesday. Five of the deceased were identified as Mahmud Molla, Alamin, Imam Molla, Abul Bashar and Tarek. They were residents of Patuakhali district. The sand lifting dredger--Saikat-2--was anchored, with the eight workers on board, in the sea around 1000 feet away from the embankment in Bashundhara area of the upazila. But it sank when the storm triggered by Cyclone Sitrang intensified around 10 pm on Monday, said Md Kabir Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Mirsarai Police Station. Mirsarai police and fire service divers recovered the bodies from the sunken dredger around 2pm on Tuesday, the OC added. At Sitakunda in Chattogram, the body of a seven-month-old girl child was recovered from a shipyard in the Bay of Bengal near the Kadamarsul area on Tuesday morning, said Mahbub, sub-inspector (SI) of Kumira Naval Police. The body of the child was swept into the shipyard by the strong tide of the sea, he added. The body was later sent to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) morgue, the SI said. In Cox’s Bazar, two people, including a Myanmar national, died in Teknaf upazila during the cyclone. The deceased were identified as Myanmar national Shouming, 71, a cook of a ship, and Sohena, 9, a resident of the upazila. Myanmar national Shouming died after falling from the deck of the ‘Zabuaung’, a ship carrying goods from Myanmar to Teknaf port as the cyclone hit Bangladesh coast last night, said United Land Port Manager of Teknaf Land Port Md Jasim Uddin Chowdhury. Police recovered the body of Sohena,who went missing during the storm, from a pond of the upazila, said Hafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Teknaf Model police station. In Brahmanbaria, a man died and his wifewwas injured as a tree fell on their house during the storm in Kasba upazila early Tuesday, said Kasba Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Masud Ul Alam. The deceased was identified as Joynal Abedin Bhuiyan, a resident of the upazila. In Munshiganj, a 28-year-old woman and her four-year-old daughter were killed when a huge tree collapsed on them while they were asleep on Monday night at Kanakshar village in Louhajang upazila of the district. The deceased were identified as Asma Akter, wife of Abdur Razzak and Sumaiya Akter, said additional superintendent Munshiganj Police Yeasmin Ferdous. Razzak was also injured during the incident. He was taken to Dhaka for better treatment. In Noakhali, a one-year-old girl was killed and her mother was injured when a tree collapsed on them at Habibia village in Subarnachar upazila of the district early Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Sneha, daughter of Abdullah of the village. Debopriyo Das, officer-in-charge of Charjabbar Police Station, said the tree collapsed on their house when Amena Begum, 25 and her daughter Sneha were sleeping around 3 am during the storm. In Cumilla’s Nangalkot upazila, a couple and their four-year-old daughter died after a huge tree fell on their house at Hesakhal area on Monday night. They were asleep when it happened. MD. Raihan Mehbub, Nangalkot Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), said police rushed to the scene after the incident took place killing Nizam Uddin , his wife Sharmin Akter Shathi and their daughter Nusrat Akter Liza. The incident occurred around 10 pm when the wind speed was 60 kmph in Cumilla as the cyclone was making landfall, he said. A 35-year-old woman--Morzina Begum--was first reported to be dead as a tree fell on her head at Lohagara upazila complex in Narail around 11 am on Monday. Morzina hailing from Bagerhat used to work as a maid at Rajpur village in the upazila, said Md Nasir Uddin, Officer-in-Charge of Lohagara Police Station. During the incident her 11-year-old son was with her, but he survived, said the OC. In Sirajganj sadar upazila, a mother and her son died as their boat sank in a canal of Jamuna River on Monday night. The deceased were identified as Ayesha Siddka, 30, wife of Khokon Sheikh from Purbo Mohonpur village, and her son Arafat Rahman, 5, said Mosaddek Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Bangabandhu Bridge West Police Station. Ayesha’s husband and two other children were rescued from the scene of the accident, he said. They were traveling home through the canal on a boat around 8 pm Monday when it capsized amid bad weather. Arafat died at the scene while Aysha was declared dead after being taken to a hospital, said the OC. In Bhola, five people died at Sadar, Doulatkhan, Lalmohan and Char Fasson upazilas, being crushed under trees and from drowning. The deceased were identified as Mofijul Islam, 60, and Nasir from sadar upazila, Bibi Khadiza, 20, from Doulatkhan upazila, Rabeya, 30, from Lalmohan upazila, and Monir, 30 from Char Fasson upazila, said Delwar Hossain, District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer. Mofizul died after a tree fell on his house on Monday night at Dhania union in sadar upazila and Bibi Khadiza also died being crushed under a tree. Monir was on a motorcycle when a tree branch fell, leaving him dead on the spot while Rabeya drowned. Nasir was electrocuted to death on Tuesday morning while removing a tree that had fallen on the road during the storm in Alinagar area of Bhola Sadar upazila, said Superintendent of Police Md Saiful Islam. In Barguna sadar upazila a 110-year-old woman died while having dinner as a tree fell on her house at Sonakhali village. She was alone in the house and died instantly, said Humayun Kabir, local Union Parishad Chairman. In Gopalganj district two women were crushed under trees at Tungipara upazila. The deceased were Sharmin,25, wife of Rezaul from Patgati union and Rumisa, 65, wife of Hanna Talukder from Banshbaria union. Sharmin died on Monday night as a tree fell on her at Panchkahania village during a storm while Rumisa got crushed under a tree at her home at Dumuria village, said Minhazur Rahman, District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer. He said their families will get Tk 25,000 as assistance, Tk 6000 for rehabilitation and tin sheets.

The low-lying areas of Bhola district have been inundated due to tidal surges and heavy rainfall, caused by cyclone Sitrang, rendering over 20,000 people marooned. The affected people of the areas have been asked to take shelter in cyclone centres, said Bhola district relief and rehabilitation official Delwar Hossain. He said adequate dry foods have been prepared for the people in shelters. "Besides, 25 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 5 lakh have been allotted." Read Fisherman goes missing as trawler capsizes at Mongla port, 21 rescued Meanwhile Bhola deputy commissioner Md Towfiq Elahi Chowdhury said a total of 746 cyclone centres were kept ready to face the disaster. "Eight control rooms have been opened in seven upazilas." Besides, 13,660 volunteers as well as 76 medical teams are working at the field level. "Coast Guard rescue teams are also ready to deal with any post-disaster situation," said Lt Kazi Al Amin, media officer of BCG East Zone. Read 110 evacuated from isolated char in Bhola ahead of Sitrang landfall On Monday (October 24, 2022), Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) evacuated 110 people from Char Patila, an isolated island of Bhola. They were stranded in the middle of adverse weather conditions accompanying cyclone Sitrang.

Different roads in Dhaka went under water due to heavy rains triggered by Cyclone Sitrang, causing traffic gridlock that left no options for commuters but to suffer terribly. Md Omar Faruq, a meteorologist of Bangladesh Metrological Department, told UNB that 255 mm rains were recorded in 24 hours till 6 am on Tuesday (October 25, 2022). As Sitrang hit the country’s coastal areas on Monday (October 24, 2022) night, nearly all parts of Bangladesh including the capital experienced heavy rains and storm that uprooted trees or killed people and disconnected power transmission lines. Read Cyclone Sitrang: Dhaka-Khulna & Dhaka-Barishal highways reopen after 10 hours City Corporation workers were seen removing uprooted trees from Dhaka roads in the morning. Office-goers and others remained stuck on roads for hours in the morning as traffic movement was slow due to waterlogging.

Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka-Barishal highways were thrown open on Tuesday (October 25, 2022) morning, nearly 10 hours after remaining closed for vehicular movement in the wake of uprooted trees blocking several stretches during Cyclone Sitrang. Around 8:30 pm on Monday, the front part of the cyclone started lashing Bangladesh, uprooting trees. "As the fallen trees blocked at least 80km areas on the two highways, the movement of vehicles had to be suspended," said Taimur Alam, officer-in-charge of Bhanga highway police station. On Tuesday, around 7am, vehicular movement resumed on the two highways after highway police and fire service removed the fallen trees after the rain and storm stopped, said the OC. Read Dhaka office-goers stuck in gridlock, traffic jam from Khilkhet to Abdullahpur During heavy rains and storm influenced by the cyclone, trees broke down in the Talma Pukuria area on the Dhaka-Barishal highway and in Majhra, Majhigati, Risatala, Joy Bangla, Kailar Mor, Mansurabad on the Dhaka-Khulna highway, said police and fire officials. Cyclone Sitrang crossed the Barishal-Chattogram coast near Bhola on Monday midnight and weakened rapidly into a depression by giving precipitation, the met office said in its latest bulletin. Sitrang moved north-northeastwards very fast and completed crossing the Barishal-Chattogram coast, and it now lies over Dhaka-Cumilla-Brahmanbaria and adjoining areas as a land depression, said Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Read Cyclone Sitrang weakens into depression