Super Cyclone Is Heading Towards India and Bangladesh
Cox’s Bazaar Refugee Camp Is Likely to Be Most Affected by COVID-19 Along With Deadly Typhoon
After a severe coronavirus outbreak in the region of South East Asia, which has been recorded up till 166,335 confirmed coronavirus cases, a super cyclone is heading towards India and Bangladesh. A deadly and powerful cyclone which brewed in the Bay of Bengal is now currently enroute towards the Bangladesh and Indian border. It has the potential of causing destructions and havoc in the surrounding areas of water, which are still struggling from the hit from the coronavirus pandemic.
Deadly cyclone to hit India-Bangladesh border
The super cyclone is heading towards India and Bangladesh that has been classified by strength as category 4 Atlantic hurricanes. This super storm in the West Pacific contains destructive winds of 150 miles per hour, equivalent to 240 kilometers per hour. The weather forecast has announced that the typhoon is expected to slow down before it hits the land near the River Ganges Delta on Wednesday evening.
As the super cyclone is heading towards South East Asia, significant damage to public and private property is expected even as the storm is weakening. The area that might mostly be affected by the super cyclone will be around underdeveloped and densely populated areas, containing households with unreliable infrastructure.
Multiple natural disasters are devastatingly common in this region of the world, but cyclone Amphan might be the biggest one to hit the area amid a global pandemic. As a super cyclone is heading, it is very hard for the government to completely evacuate a densely packed area of people with limited resources in a limited amount of time during a global health crisis.
Closely packed evacuation centers is a very hard task when the health emergency required everyone to follow social distancing, which is a requirement as a super cyclone is heading towards the coastal areas of India and Bangladesh. 12 coastal districts have been put on high alert on the Indian border, along with 6 others on the Bangladesh coastal boundary.
Kolkata is one of the densest coastal areas of India, with a population around 4.4 million. 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the areas expected to be affected due to cyclone Amphan. The other 20 teams have been put on standby to help if needed.
Effects on the refugee camp in India
Heavy rainfall, along with the storm, is being expected on Cox’s Bazaar, the world’s biggest refugee camp in India, which currently houses more than 1 million individuals who have fled the violence in the state of Rakhine in Myanmar. A storm of this high caliber would be devastating for the people, considering the people are also suffering from the threat of COVID-19 pandemic.
The coronavirus outbreak in a refugee camp would become a nightmare situation as no proper personal protective equipment is available along with the improper implementation of social distancing that might increase the number of infected individuals.
COVID-19 pandemic in India and Bangladesh
Across India, the number of coronavirus cases has increased to 100,340, out of which 39,231 have been able to successfully recover back to optimum health level after suffering from mild symptoms of the infection. 23,870 confirmed coronavirus cases have been recorded in Bangladesh up till now, and the numbers continue to increase across the region.
The total number of deaths due to coronavirus in India and Bangladesh has reached 3,155 and 349, respectively. 4,585 individuals have successfully recovered without any medication in Bangladesh. The spread of infectious pathogen has shown no signs of slowing down.
As a super cyclone is heading towards the border of India and Bangladesh, more than 5, 000 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the last 24 hours, which is the highest number of cases recorded in a single day.
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