Evacuation of people at coastal and remote shoal areas of Barishal division has been started from Tuesday for sheltering them in safe places to avoid the effect of upcoming cyclone 'Amphan'.
Mohammad Masud Alam Siddique, deputy commissioner Bhola, said they planned to evacuate at least 500,000 people from different localities of coastal and shoal areas to 1,104 shelters of Bhola district. District and upazila administration already sent 50 trawlers to remote Dhalchar and other shoal areas of the district to evacuate at least 10 thousand people and evacuation has been started from Tuesday morning, he confirmed.
Bipul Chandra Das, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of coastal Monpura upazila of Bhola, said two trawlers have been sent to Mahajankandi shoal area of the upazila to evacuate hundreds of people to the mainland.
However he said people did not want to go to cyclone shelter so quickly as weather condition yet not deteriorated to severe stage.
Pijus Chandra Dey, UNO of Mehendiganj upazil under Barishal district, informed that the union parshad chairmen of Meghna River banks and remote shoals have already been instructed to start evacuating people from the remote risky char area of the upazila and sheltering them to cyclone shelters. SM Ajiar Rahman,deputy commissioner Barishal informed that the danger signal number still at 6 in the district and it may may increase any time. District administration preparing to face any worse condition of weather may be created by upcoming cyclone `Amphan'. The evacuation people from remote char areas of the district would begin at afternoon.
The DC Barishal said they planned to evacuate 2,39,000 people in 1,049 cyclone shelters of the district. Abdur Rashid, deputy director of Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP), Barishal said that 25,005 volunteers are ready in the Barisal division to help the district and upazila administration to help evacuation of people. CPP already started awareness raising propagation and cutions about weather signals, he added. Syed Azizul Haque, Barishal divisional director of the fisheries department, they has instructed all fishing boats trawlers to take safe shelters.
However fishing in sea would be under regular restrictions for 65 days from early Wednesday May 20, he told.
Muhammad Yamin Chowdhury, Barishal divisional commissioner, at least 20 to 25 lakh people will be evacuated from risk-prone areas to 4,982 cyclone shelters of the Barishal Division.
Divisional authourity has asked local administration to evacuate the people of risk-prone areas within Tuesday.
According to the divisional commissioner the authourities asked to maintain social distancing in the cyclone shelters.
Barishal divisional health director Dr. Basudev Kumar Das, said 418 medical teams have been formed in Barishal division to face any emergency situation after hit of the cyclone Amphan.
In cyclone shelters, people will have to maintain social distance and use hand washing and hand sanitizing items provided there by the concerned local administration.
--- Masuk Kamal, Barishal