Here Are the Numbers of Life and Property Affected by Cyclone Remal while UAE Flights Resume
Overwhelming statistics of the death, injury and destruction caused by the storm.
Intense summer heat in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh has been dramatically replaced by record winds and torrential and destructive rain. Clocking in at 120 km/hour on making landfall in coastal areas on Sunday night, the unwelcome visitor – Cyclone Remal – reduced its momentum to about 80 km/hour come Monday morning. However, by then, the damage had already been done.
Following are the statistics put together by West Bengal’s local authorities as they surveyed the havoc and took stock of the situation:
Houses partially affected: 13,938
Houses completely destroyed: 1,003
Trees uprooted: 2,140
Collapsed electric poles: 337
People evacuated: 2,07,060
People reported dead: 5
Shelters set up for the evacuees: 1,438
Gruel kitchens to feed the displaced: 341
Distributed tarpaulins to shelter the displaced people: 17,738
Going by the numbers mentioned, it doesn’t look like the state’s response is adequately commensurate to the magnitude of the calamity. The areas that have had to bear the brunt of the battering are: Kakdwip, Namkhana, Sagar Island, Diamond Harbour, Fraserganj, Bakkhali and Mandarmani.
Miraculously however, flights from the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport in the state capital of Kolkata have resumed. Plus, as early as 9 am on Monday morning, local bus and train services also restarted.
Sadly the situation next door – in Bangladesh – is more dire.10 people have been reported killed, about 30,000 homes destroyed or partially destroyed and tens of thousands of people displaced or missing. Meanwhile, another eastern Indian state – Tripura has been placed under high alert. One sincerely hopes that the administration will step up its rescue and rehabilitation operations and that those affected can pick up the pieces and motor on.
