Cyclone Amphan slams into Bangladesh, India as millions flee
May 20, 2020
Millions of people fled or took shelter as the "super cyclone" battered into the Indian and Bangladeshi coasts. Cities were flooded and winds reached 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D. Sarka
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At least 2.6 million people fled to shelters in Bangladesh and western India Wednesday as Cyclone Ampham made landfall. The "super cyclone" has been described as the fiercest cyclone ever in the Bay of Bengal.
The Bangladeshi Red Crescent, the local division of the Red Cross, reported the first death, as a volunteer drowned while moving villagers to safety, according to AFP news agency.
Heavy rain began to lash the area hours and several cities, including Kolkata, were flooded. Bangladesh's disaster management officials had worked on a war footing to evacuate about two million people from coastal areas along the bay.
As the storm approached, evacuation efforts gave way to attempts to keep people safe in shelters.
Waves of over five meters spotted near the coast of India. The storm pushed seawater some 25 kilometers (15 miles) inland.
Hundreds of Rohingya refugees living on a flood-prone island were also moved to storm shelters. Bhasan Char island, which has been described as "uninhabitable," by the UN,is a large sandbank that appeared from the ocean less than 20 years ago. Rights groups have urged Bangladesh to bring the refugees to the mainland, but authorities say the storm shelters are safe.
The world's largest refugee camp near Cox’s Bazar on the mainland is expected to miss the worst of the storm, though the danger level has been raised from six to nine.
Cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes - the power of devastation
Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes pack a devastating punch: wherever they go, they leave a trail of destruction. But how do these powerful tropical storms arise?
Image: AFP/D. Sarkar
Social distancing impossible during Cyclone Amphan
Residents along Bangladesh's coast are being moved to safety as one of the strongest cyclones in years strikes the region. Millions of people had to be evacuated from low-lying regions along the Bay of Bengal on May 19. But plans are complicated by the coronavirus precautions. Maintaining social distancing is nearly impossible.
Image: AFP/District Administration of Bhola
Typhoon season amid the COVID-19 pandemic
On May 14, Typhoon Vongfong slammed the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rains, destroying the city of San Policarpo in the eastern province of Samar. At least five people died and more than 91,000 people were forced to leave their homes. Typhoons are not unusual in the Philippines at this time of year. But the COVID-19 outbreak lockdown measures are exacerbating the situation.
Image: AFP/A. Beronio
Three names - one phenomenon
Hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone are actually three names for the same phenomenon. Along the North American coast they are called hurricanes, in East and Southeast Asia they are called typhoons, and near India and Australia they are called cyclones. But despite the different names, they develop in the same way.
Image: Reuters
A cyclone is created
Tropical storms develop over oceans when the water temperature is at least 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). As the warm water evaporates and condenses, the air around it heats up and drags cooler air upwards, creating powerful winds.
The eye of the storm
The Earth's rotation causes the air stream to move around the eye of the storm, which can be up to 50 kilometers wide. This area is nearly completely free of clouds and wind.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A storm hits land
When a tropical storm hits a coastline, it becomes weaker due to the lack of warm water. In Australia, "Marcia" was soon downgraded to a category one storm, while "Lam" weakened after striking near Brisbane. Masses of water from the sea often cause the worst damage - as seen here in China after Typhoon Nanmadol in August 2011.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Chaos ensues
Hurricane Sandy was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean. It caused waves of up to 4 meters high, fires, power outages and broken dykes. Sandy arrived with winds at speeds of more than 145 kilometers per hour. Cuba, New York and New Jersey were particularly affected.
Image: Reuters
Destructive vortex
Tornadoes however, are non-tropical whirlwinds that can occur anywhere a storm is brewing. Local temperature differences force warm air upwards and cold air down, and a column of warm air rotates upwards at an increasing velocity. Tornadoes are usually only a maximum of 1 kilometer in diameter.
Fastest storms
As the warm air rises, it forms a funnel, the main characteristic of a tornado. Inside the funnel, the speed of the air can be tremendous - up to 500 kilometers per hour. Tornadoes are the fastest whirlwind type of weather phenomenon.
Image: Fotolia/Daniel Loretto
Trail of destruction
A tornado can leave a trail of destruction several kilometers long. In the US Midwest, tornadoes occur several hundred times a year, as dry, cold air from the north hits damp, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. It's different in other countries - in Germany, for example, tornadoes occasionally occur along the coast.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
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Social distancing measures hamper evacuation
Evacuation and shelter efforts in eastern India and on the Bangadeshi coast were hampered by social distancing measures put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Many people refused to go to shelters or leave their livestock, as they were afraid of contracting COVID-19.
"We have literally had to force people out of their homes, make them wear masks and put them in government buildings," a senior police official for the Indian state of West Bengal told Reuters news agency.
The effects of the cyclone are expected to be felt first in two Indian states and then cross the border to Bangladesh around midday local time.
Winds are expected to reach 185 km/h (115 mph). The area has seen large cyclones and storms in the past: in 1970, Cyclone Bhola killed half a million people, and storms in 1999 and 2007 claimed thousands of lives.
