“IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE”
He said the cyclone formed more quickly than almost all the cyclones they have monitored in recent decades.
“Of course, quick cyclone formation and the long duration of cyclones are due to the impact of climate change,” Rahman said.
“It took three days for it to turn into a severe cyclone from low pressure in the Bay of Bengal … I’ve never seen a cyclone formed from a low pressure in such a quick time,” he said.
“Usually, a cyclone is formed in the south and southwest of the Bay of Bengal, then takes seven to eight days to turn into a severe cyclone.”
But while scientists say climate change is fuelling more storms, better forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have dramatically reduced death tolls.
In Bangladesh, Cyclone Remal killed at least 15 people, including 12 reported by Kamrul Hasan, the country’s disaster management secretary.
Some drowned, while others were crushed when their houses collapsed or trees uprooted by the gales landed on them.
On Tuesday, police inspector Bacchu Mia told AFP that three more people had died in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka after “they touched live electricity wires which fell on the roads when the storm hit”.
In India, six people died, West Bengal state officials said.
