Bangladesh on cyclone alert as storm brews in Bay of Bengal; landfall expected Friday
AP
Posted: 2008-05-01 10:49:05
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) – A cyclone brewing in the Bay of Bengal was expected to hit the south coast of Bangladesh late Friday before heading to Myanmar, Bangladesh’s weather office said.

The government said Thursday it was preparing for the storm to hit, calling for volunteers to assist in evacuating residents from areas at risk.

“We have asked our people to stay alert and take necessary measures,” said Mollah Waheduzzman, an official of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management. “We are ready.”

At 0900 GMT, Cyclone Nargis was 655 kilometers (406 miles) south-southwest off Cox’s Bazar on the southern coast, with a maximum sustained wind speed of about 90 kph (55mph), rising to 115 kph (71mph) in gusts, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said.

The department warned that the cyclone could trigger a tidal surge.

Mohammad Shah Alam, an official with the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, said the storm was “intensifying,” but that Nargis was weaker than Tropical Cyclone Sidr that killed some 3,400 people in Bangladesh in November.

Bangladesh, a low-lying nation of 145 million people, is prone to natural disasters such as floods and cyclones. A cyclone killed about 148,000 Bangladeshis in 1991.