Hurricane Sidr hit the coasts of Bangladesh around 5:45 PM on 15 November at a speed of 180km in the Sundarbans coasts and Mongla port, Khepupara, Dublar Char, and Hiron Point in Khulna district.
The cyclone gradually gained force and speed in the following hours moving through Barguna, the coastal belts of Barisal at up to 230-240km speed and passing by Faridpur and Dhaka districts.
The worst affected districts are Barisa, Barguna, Patuakhali, Patharghata, Jhalokathi and Pirojpur. Hundreds are feared dead with a large number of people missing in the islands and coasts, an estimated 300 in Patharghata alone. An unknown number of fishermen, tourists and others are lost and/or stranded in the islands.
The electricity system has failed cutting off channels of communication across the country – the power supply still remains highly unstable. Mobile communication is not working in the worst affected areas – as many mobile generators were water damaged.
Trees have fallen on all major highways largely severing road communication between Dhaka and other parts of the country. There has been severe damage to houses, crops and livestock.
At this early stage, it is difficult to accurately ascertain the extent of the total damage.
One million people have been evacuated from 15 coastal districts and moved to shelters according to government sources.
The UN Disaster Management Team has met to assess the situation. A joint UN Rapid Assessment team will be travelling to the worst affected districts. The team will include WFP, WHO, UNICEF and UNDP.
