• Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Cyclone Amphan: EU announces €1.1 million aid to Bangladesh

FILE PHOTO: Residents repair the damaged roof of their houses following the landfall of cyclone Amphan in Khejuri area of Midnapore, West Bengal, (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images)

By: PramodKumar

The European Union (EU) will provide €1.1 million to Bangladesh to help recover from the damages done by Cyclone Amphan last week.

“The EU is determined to start helping people in need with no further delay and provides an initial funding of €500,000 for India and €1,100,000 to support the immediate response in Bangladesh,” EU commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said in a statement.

He said this storm hit at a time when social distancing was essential to prevent further spread of the COVID-19. “A crisis on top of a crisis, so to say,” he added.

The EU will address the immediate needs of populations affected by the cyclone, as well as protect humanitarian aid and health workers from their exposure to the epidemic, said the commissioner.

“I am saddened to learn about fatalities in both India and Bangladesh, and the extent of destruction caused by strong winds, flooding, and landslides, damaging houses, infrastructure, and livelihoods,” Janez condoled.

He said the EU’s “Copernicus Emergency Management Service” has supported Bangladesh and India with satellite maps to assess damages due to the cyclone.

Dozens of people lost their lives as extremely severe cyclone Amphan made landfall on the shore of West Bengal in eastern India and made its way further northeast towards Bangladesh, causing further destruction and flooding.

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