In preparation for Cyclone Remal, 500 shelters and 290 medical teams have been kept prepared in Chattogram, said the District Disaster Management Committee, reports UNB.

The decision to keep those shelters and teams prepared was made at an emergency meeting of the committee held last night.

Rakib Hasan, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) of Chattogram district administration, informed that around 500 shelters were being prepared, 290 medical teams were formed, and all executive officers and local union chairpersons and members in the coastal areas of Chattogram were on high alert.

According to the Civil Surgeon’s Office, a medical team has been assigned to each union, five teams to each upazila health complex, and five teams are on standby at Chattogram General Hospital.

Dr. Md. Elias Chowdhury, district Civil Surgeon, said that 200 teams at the union level, 75 teams across 15 upazila health complexes, nine teams at urban dispensaries, one team for school health, and five teams at the general hospital were formed to face the impact of the cyclonic storm.

Moreover, all doctors, officers, and employees under the Civil Surgeon’s Office have been instructed to remain at their posts while an emergency control room has also been opened, he said.

Dinmoni Sharma, Deputy Director of Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defense, informed that the fire service has started operations in various coastal areas.

Announcements are being made through loudspeakers urging residents to move to safe locations before the storm hits. Operations in the city will commence based on weather conditions, he said, adding that 270 fire personnel across nine stations are prepared, with all leaves canceled.

The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm Saturday night, with the name 'Remal.' The cyclone is predicted to make landfall today, affecting the coasts of Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal.

The Meteorological Department reported that the depression has been moving north and northeast at 15 kilometers per hour over the past six hours.

Gaining strength over the sea before hitting the coast between Khepupara, Bangladesh, and Sagar Island, West Bengal, it will hit with speeds of 110 to 120 kilometers per hour, with wind gusts reaching up to 135 kilometers per hour.

Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan