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Cyclone Dumps Rain on India, Bangladesh, 2M Head to Shelters

Associated Press

   NEW DELHI - A strong cyclone blew heavy rains and strong winds into
   coastal India and Bangladesh on Wednesday after more than 2.6 million
   people were moved to shelters in a frantic evacuation made more
   challenging by coronavirus.
   Cyclone Amphan slowed slightly as it reached cooler waters near the
   coast. But with wind speeds ranging between 160 and 170 kilometers per
   hour (100 and 105 miles per hour), the storm could cause extensive
   damage: winds and heavy rain battering flimsy houses, a storm surge
   that may push seawater 25 kilometers (15 miles) inland and the
   possibility of flooding in crowded cities like Kolkata.
   Bangladesh is attempting to evacuate 2.2 million people to safety.
   India's West Bengal state evacuated nearly 300,000. Odisha state has
   evacuated 148,486 people, said Pradeep Jena, the state official in
   charge of managing disasters.
   Masks and hand-sanitizers were hastily added to the emergency items
   stocked in storm shelters. But the pandemic has made it harder to save
   lives.
   Some cyclone shelters in West Bengal were used for quarantining
   COVID-19 patients and migrant workers traveling after India's lockdown
   was eased, officials said. Some schools are now being used to shelter
   people, news reports said.
   The West Bengal government has also asked that the special trains for
   migrant workers be suspended, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

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