Cyclone Remal: One killed in tidal surge at Patuakhali char
A youth was swept away in a tidal surge caused by Cyclone Remal this afternoon in the Kawar Char area of Patuakhali's Kalapara upazila.
The deceased is Shariful Islam, 24, of Anantapara area of the upazila, reports our Patuakhali correspondent quoting police.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Quoting locals, Mahipur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Anwar Hossain Talukder said Sharif was swept away by floodwaters while trying to save his mother-in-law and sister from the storm around 1:00pm when the Kawar Char went under 5-7ft of water due to a tidal surge.
Locals recovered the body from the same place after an hour.
Meanwhile, Patuakhali District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Suman Debnath said at least 35,000 people have taken shelter in various cyclone shelters in the district till 5:00pm today.
It has been raining with gusty winds since the morning. The sea has been rough, he added.
Water overflowed through embankments in different areas and flooded the localities, he said.
Water Development Board, Patuakhali Executive Engineer Md Arif Hossain said during high tide, the river water flowed one foot above the danger level.
Due to this, many areas were flooded due to tidal surge. Geo bags are being thrown to protect the embankment of Agunmukha river in Galachipa, he said.
District Relief and Housing Officer Suman Chandra Debnath said 703 cyclone shelters and 35 killas (evacuation centres) were prepared to deal with Cyclone Remal.
Dry food has already been delivered to the shelters. He also said about 9,000 volunteers of Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP) are working in the field to deal with the cyclone situation.
The CPP volunteers have started bringing people to safety from the coast after Payra port was asked to hoist Signal 10.
Meanwhile, launches from Patuakhali River Port on the Dhaka-Patuakhali waterway have been suspended, said Patuakhali River Port Traffic Inspector Dinesh Kumar Saha.
All the river routes in the district have been ordered to be closed until further notice, he added.
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