# Cyclone Amphan (20 May 2020)

URL: https://allhistories.com/bangladesh/timeline/2020-cyclone-amphan
Location: Sundarbans and Khulna coast
Themes: Pandemic, Public health

Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan made landfall on 20 May 2020 near Bakkhali in West Bengal, close to the Bangladesh border, and its western side devastated the Sundarbans and the southwest coast of Bangladesh. At landfall the Indian Meteorological Department reported winds of about 155 km/h. A storm surge of about 5 metres overtopped embankments, and all 65 freshwater ponds in one affected area were contaminated by seawater. The storm struck during the COVID-19 pandemic, so social distancing limited shelters to about one third of their capacity. Bangladesh opened more than 12,000 shelters and, according to Wikipedia, evacuated about 2.2 million people. The Cyclone Preparedness Programme volunteers who had saved lives in Sidr again helped with evacuation. Across the region 133 people died, including 26 in Bangladesh and 103 in India. Damage was estimated at about US$15.5 billion across the region, making it the costliest cyclone on record in the North Indian Ocean at the time. Bangladesh's disaster authority estimated losses of US$1.5 billion, and farmland in the south suffered salinity damage. The event showed that preparedness systems could work even under pandemic restrictions. At this point in the timeline (2020), Bangladesh was led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (6 January 2009 – 5 August 2024), with President Mohammad Abdul Hamid as head of state.

## Why it matters
Amphan showed that large-scale cyclone evacuation could continue during a pandemic, keeping Bangladesh's death toll at 26.

Ruler at the Time: [Sheikh Hasina (second to fifth terms)](https://allhistories.com/bangladesh/rulers/sheikh-hasina-second-to-fifth-terms)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Cyclone Amphan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Amphan)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Bangladeshi history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Bangladeshi_history)