Azgar Ali is a resident of Satkhira district on the coast of Bangladesh. He like many other residents from both India and Bangladesh have lost their home to Cyclone Amphan.
Villagers salvage items from their house damaged by Cyclone Amphan in West Bengal [Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP]
Amphan has killed over 88 people, destroyed homes and left millions remain without power-- all this amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, from the Indian state of West Bengal, said at least 72 people have died in India. Many of them electrocuted or crushed by uprooted trees.
The United Nations in Bangladesh estimates around 10 million people have been affected by the cyclone, which has left close to half a million people homeless.
Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury reported Bangladesh is expecting more than a billion dollar losses.
“Five million people are without power. There has been heavy damage, especially in southwestern Bangladesh in the Sundarbans mangrove forest which got the direct hit ... thousands of houses have been washed away due to the tidal surge,” said Tanvir Chowdhury.
2.4 million people and more than half a million livestock were brought to shelters in Bangladesh [Abu Sufian Jewel/AP Photo]
Azmat Ulla, the head of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ Bangladesh, said a national disaster response team carried out relief on the ground.
“The coronavirus restrictions have obviously made things much more difficult, especially with regards to evacuation to cyclone shelters.”
Enamur Rahman from Bangladesh disaster management said half a million livestock was brought to shelters. Authorities used extra shelter space to reduce crowding, made face masks compulsory and even set aside isolation rooms.
The number of coronavirus cases in both countries is steeply rising.
Written By: Aldrin Gomes
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