Why cyclones like Sitrang stoke fear? Loss & damage worth billions due to Indian Ocean storms

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Cyclone Sitrang, made landfall along the Chittagong-Barisal coast around 9 pm October 24, 2022, 9-10 hours before the forecast and caused widespread damage in the affected areas.

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The Indian subcontinent, however, is not new to this extent of damage due to cyclonic storms. Of the 17 strongest storms of each year between 2005 to 2021 formed over the northern Indian Ocean, 11 had devastating effects in India, with loss from each running into billions of dollars.

This time, mass evacuations on the West Coast of Bangladesh, and early warning to Rohingya refugees in southeast Bangladesh helped save some lives, officials said.

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