Nearly 1.5m people from 10 districts to be evacuated

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman on Tuesday urged the authorities concerned to evacuate people from 10 coastal districts within 8:00 pm tonight as cyclone "Hamoon" may cross Barishal-Chattogram coast from Wednesday morning to noon.

"But, if the intensity of the cyclone goes up, it may hit earlier. So, coastal people from 10 districts will be evacuated to shelter centres within 8:00 pm tonight," he told a press briefing at the secretariat.

Enamur said Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Pirojpur, Jhalokathi, Barguna, Chattogram, Feni, Noakhali and Lakshmipur are being considered as vulnerable districts to the cyclone.

"Around 1.5 million people from those districts will be evacuated to shelter centres," he said, adding that local administrations and volunteers have already started the evacuation activities.

The state minister said Taka 2 million in cash, 50 tonnes of rice and Taka 20 million have been allocated for buying baby food and cattle feed in each district.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Meteorological Department asked maritime ports of Payra and Chattogram to hoist danger signal no. 7 and 6 for Cox's Bazar and 5 for Mongla as the severe cyclonic storm "Hamoon" may cross the Barishal-Chattogram coast near Bhola by Wednesday.

The meteorological office in its latest bulletin number 11 said the coastal district of Barishal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barguna, Pirojpur, Jhalokathi, Chattogram, Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Chandpur and other offshore islands and chars will come under danger signal number 7.