Bangladesh and India are on high alert as Cyclone Remal, the first major storm of the year, approaches with wind speeds reaching up to 120 km/h (75 mph). According to India's weather department, the cyclone is expected to make landfall overnight.

Bangladesh's weather office has issued the highest storm danger signal, level 10, for two ports and nine coastal districts. Authorities have been using loudspeakers to issue warnings and have begun evacuating residents from vulnerable coastal areas. Mijanur Rahman, chief of Bangladesh's disaster management team, reported that nearly 60,000 people had been relocated to shelters as of Sunday morning.

The low-lying coastal regions of Bangladesh and India have frequently faced severe storms. In 2021, Cyclone Yaas rendered over 50,000 people homeless and caused at least one death.

Bangladesh has prepared nearly 8,000 cyclone shelters and mobilized 78,000 volunteers, according to Mohibbur Rahman, the state minister for disaster management and relief. Meanwhile, India has activated its disaster relief force in the eastern state of West Bengal, where flights in and out of Kolkata have been suspended.

West Bengal has begun to experience moderate rainfall, and the government has cancelled leave for essential service workers, as reported by a civic body official. The Indian Navy has placed ships, aircraft, divers, and medical supplies on standby for emergency deployment.

"The landfall of Cyclone Remal is expected between 11 PM and 1 AM," stated Somnath Dutta, head of the weather forecast section at the regional meteorological center in Kolkata. Social media images on platform X showed disaster management teams alerting tourists at West Bengal beaches. Additionally, several train services passing through the cyclone's projected path have been cancelled.

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