Cyclone Amphan

"The impact of Amphan is worse than coronavirus” -Mamata Banerjee

Cyclone Sidr, a disaster that left three thousand and five hundred Bangladeshis dead in its wake as it worked it’s way past Bangladesh and West Bengal, seems rather mild with the emergence of a new threat in 2020. Cyclone Amphan has wreaked havoc, leaving the authorities scrambling as they deal with the pressing issue of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The historic gem of Kolkata, West Bengal seems to be the worst affected in the region. Over seventy two dead, thousands of mud huts levelled, trees uprooted and the less fortunate have been rendered homeless.

Further to the east, Bangladesh is not doing any better. With ten dead (including a five year old boy and a seventy five year old man) and over five million people without electricity, the Bangladeshi government speculates heavy damage in the South-western areas and the mangroves in the Sundarbans region.

Cyclone Amphan is a natural disaster that has managed to pose maximum threat to the lives of the people since the Cyclone Sidr of 2007. The winds spiralling at 170km/h are set to make their way downwards, Odisha possibly being the next state to be affected.

While the intensity of the storm has decreased, the damage it has done cannot be undone. The India Government evacuated over six hundred and fifty thousand people from West Bengal. The norms of social distancing have also been followed by setting up of extra shelter space to prevent crowding. Gloves and face masks have been made compulsory, and isolation rooms have also been set up.

Amphan is now the first cyclone to be categorised as a “super cyclone” since 1999.

Written by: Akshith Sainarayanan