The Bangladesh Meteorological Department confirmed the formation of cyclone Sitrang over east-central Bay of Bengal.
The cyclonic storm was formed at about 6:00pm, said meteorologist Mohammad Abul Kalam Mallik.
The BMD raised the local warning signal to number four for all four maritime ports after the cyclone was formed.
The cyclonic storm is likely to move toward Bangladesh over the next 24 hours and make landfall at about 12:00 night on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the local administrations in 19 coastal districts have started preparing shelter centres and alerting the locals.
Mongla Upazila Nirbahi Officer Kamlesh Majumder said, ‘A total of 103 cyclone shelters have been prepared and various Government and NGO organizations including Cyclone Preparedness Program volunteers have been asked to remain alert.’
Sundarban East Division forest officer Mohammad Belayet Hossain said that different stations and patrol outposts had been instructed to remain on maximum alert by the Forest Department.
In Bhola, 746 shelters have been prepared and another 1,306 educational institutions in the district have been informed to be prepared to operate as shelters ahead of the cyclone, said the district deputy commissioner Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury.
Eight control rooms have been opened in seven upazilas of the district and 13,660 CPP volunteers are on standby.
A medical team has been formed for each of the 70 unions and seven upazilas of the district and preparations have been made to bring the residents of isolated char areas to safe shelter, he added
Bagerhat deputy commissioner Mohammad Azizur Rahman said that 344 shelters had been prepared in nine upazilas of the district.
‘In the shelter centres, an estimated 208,430 people will be able to take refuge during the disaster. People will be taken to shelters upon receiving further instructions from the Met Office and authorities,’ he added.
Under the influence of deep depression, new moon phase and steep pressure gradient, the low-lying areas of coastal Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Laxmipur, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni, Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar districts and their offshore islands and char area likely to be inundated by the wind-driven surge height of 3-5 feet above the astronomical tide, said the Met Office in a special bulletin.
The tidal surge height may even increase afterwards.
