Coastal people undertook an uphill battle to reach shelters as the cyclonic storm Sitrang made landfall on Monday evening with fierce rain and battering wind.

 About 5,26,000 people moved to shelters in 15 coastal districts in the path of the cyclone, with most of them arriving at shelters on their own arrangement – walking several kilometres amid inclement weather after nightfall with children and elderly members of their families and herds of domesticated animals.

Nearly one lakh domesticated animals were also moved to shelters.

The impacts of the cyclone moving onto land with its main body around 9:00pm on Monday could not immediately be known in detail, but people from impacted areas talked about fiercely blowing wind amid very heavy rain.

‘Huge wind is sweeping through my neighbourhood as if houses would be blown away soon,’ said Nusrat Jahan Shifa, a resident of Kalinath Bazar, Bhola.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said that the eye of the storm would take until 3:00am to cross the coastal belt with the wind blowing around 100km.

At least two people were killed being crushed under trees in Bhola and Barguna.

Bhola police superintendent Saiful Islam confirmed the death of an elderly man in Daulatkhan, while the other death at Sonakhali of Barguna was confirmed by Farhana Yasmin, district relief and rehabilitation officer, Barguna.

Inclement weather triggered by the cyclone caused numerous inconveniences throughout Monday, toppling trees, damaging houses and disrupting roads and river communication.

Ceaseless rain and battering wind, which began as early as on Sunday evening at places, messed up coastal electricity supply network, plunging millions into darkness by Monday afternoon.

Dozens of coastal villages went under the water after coastal embankments gave in or the sea level rose above usual during the morning tide under the peripheral impact of the cyclone, pouring water into the land through breaches in embankments never repaired.

The inclement weather also prompted authorities to shut the inland river route for an indefinite period and suspend operations at three airports, including the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram, between 12:00pm on Monday and 3:00 pm on Tuesday.

The impact of the cyclone also washed ashore a mysterious ship on Chhera Dwip beach on Monday afternoon.

Incessant rain also drowned many city streets, including those in Dhaka, where 124mm of rain was recorded in the 24 hours until 6:00 pm on Monday.

‘The cyclone is likely to track through the northeast and gradually dissipate,’ said meteorologist Bazlur Rashid.

The country’s highest daily rainfall of 294 mm was recorded at Khepupara. The rain continued till the filing of the report.

Heavy rain inside Bangladesh and upstream India might trigger flash floods in coastal, southeastern, eastern, and northeastern regions, warned the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre.

The National Disaster Response Coordination Centre said that 2.19 lakh people were moved to cyclone shelters in 15 coastal districts until 5:00pm.

‘People streamed cyclone shelters after nightfall, and they mostly came on their own,’ said Moniruzzaman, the chief of the NDRCC.

The state minister for disaster management and relief, Enamur Rahman, earlier in the day announced his plan to evacuate 25 lakh people, reiterating that all preparations were made to bring people to safety and feed them.

The ministry announced Satkhira, Khulna, Jhalakathi, Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Lakshmipur, Chandpur, Noakhali, and Feni as the 13 most vulnerable districts.

The BMD put these districts under signal number seven, along with the ports of Mongla and Payra. The off-shore islands and chars under the coastal districts of Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar ports were put under danger signal number six.

New Age correspondent in Barishal reported that evacuation began after 4:00pm, just five hours before the cyclone hit with its main body, leaving a very short time for removing people from the path of the cyclonic storm.

By the afternoon, roads linking remote coastal areas were already under the water.

‘The sea swelled unusually around noon, inundating our village,’ Kali Rani, a resident of Char Momtaj, told New Age correspondent in Patuakhali, as she explained the circumstances under which she left for shelter.

Kali had to take eight children along as she travelled three kilometres to the nearest shelter in heavy rain and wind.

Patuakhali saw 253mm of rain in the 24 hours until 3:00pm. A dozen villages in Kolapara were inundated by seawater and another 10 villages in Rangabali by afternoon.

In Kuakata, wind and rain got even stronger around 3:00pm and people were praying because they feared a storm surge during the tide at night, which coincided with the new moon.

The BMD predicted a tidal surge up to 7 feet above normal height.

Almost all of the 21 lakh people in Barishal division were without power, said the division’s superintendent officer, Dipankar Mondol.

‘Our line is tripping every now and then because of heavy wind,’ he said.

An important embankment collapsed in Koyra, Khulna, and 15 trawlers moored at Saint Matin’s island sank, according to New Age correspondents in Khulna and Cox’s Bazar.

The Chittagong Port Authority on Monday suspended all operations and sent all ships to the outer anchorage, reported New Age staff correspondent in Chattogram.

The Chittagong district administration evacuated 4 lakh people until Monday afternoon.

Power supply in different areas, including Lohagara, Anwara, Boalkhali, Satkania, Dohazari, Hathazari, Rangunia, and most of the parts of Chattogram city, was disrupted due to heavy wind.

New Age correspondent in Cox’s Bazar reported that the entire district was without power since Monday afternoon and dozens of villages in low-lying areas were under the water.

Cox’s Bazar saw a two-to-three-metre tidal surge on Monday afternoon, leading to fear that worse would follow at night.

Saint Martin’s Island union parishad member Mohammad Habib said that around 150 tourists got stuck on the island due to the storm.

New Age correspondent in Manikganj reported that ferry services on the Aricha-Kazirhat and the Paturia-Daulatdia routes were suspended in the afternoon until further notice.

 New Age correspondent in Satkhira reported that rivers swelled by up to 4 feet on Monday and that 35,000 people had been moved to shelters.

The Ministry of Agriculture advised farmers to cut their paddy if they are 80 per cent ripe to save them from sudden flooding caused by the storm.

Education ministry in a circular on Monday said that all educational institutions in three cyclone affected divisions—Barishal, Khulna and Chattogram—were closed until further notice.

The authorities were asked to ready all those institutions as cyclone centres.

A total 17 ships of two Maritime Patrol Aircraft and two helicopters of Bangladesh Navy have completed all necessary preparations for deployment in cyclone affected areas, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported quoting a press release of Inter Service Public Relation Directorate.