Cyclone Yaas will not cause any major damage to the coastal areas of Bangladesh, as it has not intensified further, said State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman, reports bdnews24.com.
“By the grace of Allah, we are free from tension as of now as the cyclone is now centred about 500 km away from the coast of Odisha and 605 km away from the coast of Bangladesh. It is likely to move northwest to Odisha,” he said after a preparatory meeting on the looming cyclone. “We hope the storm will have no major impact on Bangladesh coast if its course remains the same.”
Bangladesh may experience a cloudy weather and gusts and squalls of wind, he said.
The maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to hoist distant warning signal No. 2 as the sea has been rough.
The government is “monitoring” the situation and will continue to do so until the storm makes landfall, Rahman said. They are prepared to shift people to shelters in case the storm changes its course.
“We’ll inform you (the media) every hour if the cyclone intensifies further so that you can share the news and people don’t get any scope to make a mistake or to become sluggish.”
There is no need to increase the cautionary signal for Bangladesh for now, the state minister said.