Heavy crop loss after Cyclone Fani hits Bangladesh

Tropical Cyclone "Fani" damaged about 63 063 hectares (155 832 acres) of crops since it moved into Bangladesh on May 4, 2019. The damage is estimated at about 4.5 million U.S. dollars (380 million takas).

The worst affected crops include paddy, maize, vegetables and jute.

Agriculture Minister said 13 631 farmers in 25 districts suffered losses, more than half of the country, adding that government is providing seeds, fertilizer and cash.

The cyclone also damaged homes, uprooted trees, snapped power and communication lines and disrupted traffic.

Fani made landfall close to the city of Puri, Odisha between 02:30 – 04:30 UTC on Friday, May 3, 2019 as Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm with winds between 180 – 190 km/h (112 – 118 mph) and gusts to 200 km/h (124 mph). This made it a Category 3 hurricane equivalent on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. 

With maximum sustained winds of 250 km/h (155 mph) on May 2, Fani became the strongest of any cyclones this early in a calendar year in the North Indian Ocean since the Bangladesh Cyclone of 1991.

Fani is also one of the strongest storms to hit India in 20 years.

The timing of such a powerful storm is unusual, IMD said. Over the past 50 years, nearly 60% of extremely severe cyclones made landfall between October and December.

Featured image: Suomi NPP/VIIRS. Acquired May 4, 2019