Cyclone Remal: 6 killed, over 29k houses damaged in Bengal’s coastal areas

KOLKATA: Nearly 29,500 houses in 24 blocks and 79 municipal wards, mostly in the south coastal areas of West Bengal, were partially or entirely damaged by Cyclone Remal, a state government official said on Monday.

Additionally, over 2,140 trees were uprooted, and about 1,700 electric poles fell in various parts of the state, he added.

Initial assessments indicate that out of the damaged houses, 27,000 suffered partial damage, while 2,500 were completely destroyed. The official cautioned that these figures might change as evaluations are ongoing, with data collection and damage estimation still in progress.

“The figures will probably change as the evaluation process is still not complete. Data is being collected from the districts and the estimation of the damage is being calculated,” the official told PTI.

The administration had shifted 2,07,060 people to 1,438 safe shelters, he said, adding currently there are 77,288 people.

“In all, 341 gruel kitchens being operated at the moment. We have distributed 17,738 tarpaulins to the affected people in the coastal and low-lying areas,” he added.

The affected areas included Kakdwip, Namkhana, Sagard Island, Diamond Harbour, Fraserganj, Bakkhali and Mandarmani.

There were minor breaches of embankments due to the cyclone, he said, adding that those were repaired immediately.

“No major breach of embankment has been reported so far. All those reported were minor ones and were addressed immediately,” he said.

Six persons — one in Kolkata, two women in South 24 Parganas district, one in Panihati in North 24 Parganas district and a father-son duo in Memari in Purba Medinipur — lost their lives due to the cyclone. Coastal regions bore the brunt of cyclone Remal’s fury, with significant infrastructural damage reported in both West Bengal and neighboring Bangladesh, where winds reached speeds of up to 135 km/h. (PTI)