Bangladeshi meteorologists reported on Tuesday that a deadly cyclone, which caused widespread destruction, was one of the quickest-forming and longest-lasting they have ever seen. Experts attributed these unusual characteristics to climate change.
Cyclone Remal struck the low-lying regions of Bangladesh and neighboring India on Sunday evening, bringing fierce winds and crashing waves. The storm resulted in at least 23 deaths, destroyed thousands of homes, breached seawalls, and flooded cities across both countries.
Azizur Rahman, director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, told AFP, “In terms of its land duration, it is one of the longest in the country’s history,” noting that the cyclone battered the region for over 36 hours. For comparison, Cyclone Aila, which hit Bangladesh in 2009, lasted about 34 hours.
In recent decades, hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh have been killed by cyclones. The frequency of superstorms has sharply increased, now ranging from one to three per year, a change linked to climate change. Longer-lasting storms tend to cause more destruction.
“I’ve seen many storms in my life but nothing like this cyclone,” said Asma Khatun, an 80-year-old widow from the coastal town of Patuakhali. “Before, the storm came and went away… now it doesn’t seem to go away. The incessant pouring and heavy wind kept us stuck for days.”
Rahman pointed out that the cyclone brought massive rainfall, with some areas receiving at least 200 millimeters (7.9 inches) of rain. Storm surges breached multiple embankments, causing seawater to flood farmland, damage fish farms, and contaminate drinking water supplies.
Bangladesh’s state minister for disaster management, Mohibbur Rahman, reported that the cyclone affected 3.75 million people, destroyed over 35,000 homes, and damaged another 115,000. “We don’t know where to go,” said Setara Begum, 75, standing amid the wreckage of her home.
Rahman also noted that Cyclone Remal formed more quickly than almost any cyclone in recent decades. “Quick cyclone formation and the long duration of cyclones are due to the impact of climate change,” he said. “It took three days for it to turn into a severe cyclone from low pressure in the Bay of Bengal… I’ve never seen a cyclone form from low pressure in such a quick time.”
Despite the increasing frequency of storms, improved forecasting and effective evacuation plans have significantly reduced death tolls. Around a million people in Bangladesh and India evacuated to safer areas, although many chose to stay behind to protect their homes.
In Bangladesh, Cyclone Remal claimed at least 17 lives, according to disaster management officials and police. Additional fatalities included a couple crushed under bricks when their house collapsed. Other deaths resulted from drowning, falling debris, or electrocution by downed power lines.
Biswanath Sikder, chief engineer of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board, reported that thousands of electricity poles were downed, leaving over 20 million people without power. “We are working hard to restore power to about 50 percent of the affected people by Tuesday evening,” he said.
In India, six people were reported dead, according to West Bengal state officials. The Sundarbans mangrove forest, spanning Bangladesh and India, helped mitigate the storm’s impact by dissipating its force, according to Bangladesh’s state weather department.
However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently warned that half of the world’s mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse due to climate change, deforestation, and pollution. (With inputs from AFP)
