Cyclone Sidr batters coast: Armed Forces, thousands of volunteers engaged in massive evacuation; 32 lakh people taken to safer places; Govt ready to meet all exigencies
Friday, November 16th, 2007
Staff ReporterThe severe cyclone-SIDR hit the country’s coast yesterday evening with a windspeed from 140 to 165 killometres per hour (kph).The cyclone originating in the Bay started pounding the entire south and southwestern coast from Cox’s Bazar to Satkhira districts. The number of the vulnerable people living in the coastline are nearly 1 crore 20 lakh.
Officials engaged in evacuation from remote offshore islands said winds with a speed of 100 to 130 kph which was packing with gusty wind to 165 kph started lashing the areas ahead of impending attack by the super severe Cyclone “SIDR”, a category four super storm.
“This cyclone has a devastating capacity like that of the November 12, 1970 cyclone and the US hurricane caterina,” a senior meterolgist said. (more…)
