Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina distributed relief materials to the victims of Cyclone Remal in Patuakhali district on 30 May.
The relief distribution event took place at Government Mojahar Uddin Biswas Degree College in Kolapara, organized by the district administration.
Earlier, the Prime Minister conducted an aerial survey of the Mathbaria and Pathorghata areas in Patuakhali district to assess the damage caused by the cyclone. She arrived at the helipad next to Khepupara Govt Model Secondary School in Kalapara at 12:20pm, following a one-and-a-half-hour helicopter ride from Dhaka.
Mathbaria and Pathorghata in Kalapara were severely affected when the cyclone hit the Bangladesh coast on Sunday, originating from the Bay of Bengal.
The Prime Minister’s helicopter flew low over the affected areas, allowing her to closely inspect the devastation caused by tidal surges and heavy rains that washed away embankments, fish farms, and toppled houses and trees along the coast.
The cyclone resulted in at least 16 deaths and numerous injuries, despite a significant evacuation effort to cyclone shelters, which was closely monitored by the Prime Minister from Dhaka.
Following the relief distribution, Sheikh Hasina visited the Shaheed Sheikh Kamal Bridge on the Patuakhali-Kuakata road. She then met with divisional level officials to review the relief operations and discuss the immediate rehabilitation needs of the affected population.
Concluding her day-long visit to the region, the Prime Minister is scheduled to return to Dhaka at 3pm.
Cyclone Remal claimed lives and caused extensive damage, destroying over 35,000 homes and seriously affecting more than 3.7 million people across 19 districts. The storm made landfall near Khepupara in Patuakhali, with wind speeds reaching up to 130kmph on Sunday evening.
In Patuakhali alone, around 327,000 people were affected, with 235 houses completely destroyed and 1,865 partially damaged, according to official sources. The agricultural sector suffered losses exceeding Tk 260 million, while the fishery sector’s losses were estimated at over Tk 280 million.
