Cyclone Amphan flattened houses, uprooted trees, blew off roofs and toppled electricity pylons, while a storm surge inundated coastal villages and wrecked shrimp farms vital to the local economy. The United Nations office in Bangladesh estimates 10 million people were affected, and some 500,000 people may have lost their homes. Jessore, the district next to Satkhira and which borders West Bengal, was also hard hit with at least 12 killed. "The storm surge was not powerful or high enough to cause extensive damage to lives or properties," Wahra told AFP. Packing people into shelters, however, raised the risk of coronavirus spreading, with cases still surging in India and Bangladesh.

Source: Daily Nation May 22, 2020 03:00 UTC