Bangladeshi authorities evacuate 500,000 ahead of Cyclone Bulbul

[TexasTowelie]

Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Bangladeshi authorities ordered about 500,000 people to evacuate ahead of Cyclone Bulbul, which is set to make landfall Saturday evening with surges up to 7 feet.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall near one of the largest mangrove forests in the world, the Sundarbans, which is home to endangered Bengal tigers. A dozen coastal districts are in the storm's path and sea ports are on high alert.

The storm could cause wind speeds of up to 75 mph, with higher gusts, when it hits coastal regions, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said.

About 500,000 have been evacuated from the coastal region of Bangladesh ahead of the storm, according to Enamur Rahman, a minister of Bangladesh's Disaster Management and Relief.

Read more: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2019/11/09/Bangladeshi-authorities-evacuate-500000-ahead-of-Cyclone-Bulbul/2811573311336/

[gristy]

1. A couple more articles on this...

Lots of proactive activity is reported. Good!

Bangladesh's low-lying coast, home to 30 million people, is regularly battered by powerful cyclones that leave a trail of devastation in their wake.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed over the last few decades in cyclones, whose frequency and intensity have increased.
Bangladesh has, however, improved its preparedness in recent years, cutting the number of casualties since Cyclone Sidr killed more than 3,000 people in 2007.
In May this year, Fani became the most powerful storm to hit the country in five years, but just over a dozen people were killed.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/bangladesh-mass-evacuation-cyclone-bulbul-approaches-191109064911732.html

Indian authorities said military ships and planes have been put on standby to assist with emergencies.
Bangladesh's low-lying coast is often hit by deadly cyclones, but the country has successfully reduced the number of casualties in recent years.
Early cyclone warning systems have improved, giving authorities more time to evacuate people. More Cyclone shelters have also been constructed to protect local residents.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50358663

Over 400,000 people were evacuated from at-risk areas in Bangladesh throughout the day, with over 50,000 volunteers going door to door to move people to safety from areas below sea level. Up to 1.8 million people were expected to be evacuated by Saturday evening.
"More people will be moved to the shelters, and we will hopefully be able to take all vulnerable people to safety," said Enamur Rahman, who serves as Bangladesh's junior minister for disaster management.
In India, officials said that nearly 120,000 people have been moved, with meteorologists saying that the cyclone was likely to weaken from "very severe" to "severe" as it crossed the coast.

https://www.dw.com/en/cyclone-bulbul-makes-landfall-as-bangladesh-india-evacuate-hundreds-of-thousands/a-51179556

[TexasTowelie]

2. Cyclone Bulbul: 75 Cruise Ship Passengers Rescued, Says Mamata Banerjee

KOLKATA: At least 75 passengers of a cruise ship in the Bay of Bengal were rescued by the West Bengal police while Severe Cyclone Bulbul raged on Saturday, state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

"These people did not know about the calamity. The 24 Parganas South police superintendent led the rescue," Ms Banerjee said at the special control room in the state secretariat Nabanna.

The passengers have been sheltered in Mousuni Island, near Namkhana.

"The passengers and crew have said they don't need food, but only shelter. They will be there till the situation normalises," said the chief minister.

More at https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/cyclone-bulbul-75-cruise-ship-passengers-rescued-says-west-bengal-chief-minister-mamata-banerjee-2130143