By: Taj Gadiraju
In the midst of the dangerous COVID19 pandemic, India is in its monsoon season. Because of this, there have been even more catastrophic events that take place there. Kolkata is a tragic example of this. A powerful cyclone, Cyclone Amphan, in Kolkata killed 84 Indians and Bangladeshis. This was the first time an event like this happened to Kolkata since 1999, where another cyclone formed in the Bay of Bengal. Because the cyclone destroyed cell towers and electricity lines, many 14 million people ended up losing power. Even worse, because of the COVID19 pandemic, emergency and relief efforts have been halted from helping them.
The cyclone ventured North from Bangladesh to Kolkata in less than 12 hours. The winds reached crazy speeds of up to 185 km/h leaving the citizens of Bangladesh and India helpless. On top of the mass destruction to power lines, there was also destruction of a temple. This reminded the citizens that god nor prayers could actually stop this cyclone, and it would destroy everything in its path. A resident who lived in Kolkata could only say, “Thank God, we are safe,” because their home was completely demolished.
The Indian government predicted storm surges up to 10-16 feet because of Cyclone Amphan. Even in a small city in Bangladesh called Khulna, 83 thousand homes were destroyed. The Indian government expects there to be 1.5 billion dollars worth of damages because of Cyclone Amphan.
Discussion Question:
Should safety from the pandemic be put over the safety of other major natural disasters? Is there anything that can be done to prevent the spread of the pandemic while helping those that are affected by such disasters?
I think that by putting volunteers or workers in small groups and in shifts can help with safety and also help others while not getting the corona virus. By setting up these small groups and shifts, we can try and prevent the spread of the virus while also helping people. If someone were to get the virus, we would know what shift and group those workers or volunteers were part of.
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