A devastating Nor’wester (Kalbaishakhi) storm struck the island upazila of Mehendiganj in the Barisal district on Wednesday morning, 27 May 2026, causing widespread infrastructural damage and collapsing over a hundred houses. The storm, which struck suddenly at approximately 10:00 am, dismantled the regional electrical distribution network by snapping overhead cables and breaking at least ten utility poles. The complete blackout has left thousands of riverside residents facing immense hardship and uncertainty immediately ahead of the Eid-ul-Adha festivities.
Volunteer teams, including members of the Mehendiganj Elite Football Academy, deployed across the affected municipal zones early in the morning to clear uprooted trees from primary thoroughfares and damaged electrical installations. Concurrently, initial field reports indicate that the severe weather system also impacted the neighbouring Hijla and Muladi upazilas, causing varied levels of property damage.
Localised Residential and Commercial Impact
The high-velocity winds caused extensive property damage across several villages within the municipality. In Chunar village, a massive Chambal tree uprooted and crashed directly onto the residence of Hanif Poddar. The impact crushed the veranda and compromised the building’s structural integrity, though three family members inside managed to evacuate without injury.
“During the peak of the wind, we heard the sound of structures breaking,” Poddar’s wife stated. “We fled the house immediately, only to witness that the massive Chambal tree at the rear of our property had completely collapsed onto the living quarters.”
In Kalikapur village, an identical incident occurred near the Adarsha Gram School, where a large coconut tree severed the residence of Shanto Rari. Local residents noted that Shanto and his sister, both orphans, inhabited the house with their grandmother. Having lost their primary shelter, the family remains without alternative accommodation. Furthermore, commercial agricultural assets were affected in Badarpur village, where a poultry farm owned by an entrepreneur named Shakil, located on the homestead of Nader Ali Bepari, was completely twisted and destroyed by the wind.
The verified operational impacts, structural losses, and institutional responses compiled from local authority statements are detailed in the table below:
| Impact Category | Documented Damage and Locations | Institutional and Local Response |
| Electrical Grid | 10+ utility poles broken; multi-zone cable snapping | Barisal Palli Bidyut Samity-1 repair teams deployed |
| Residential Sector | Over 100 homesteads dismantled or severely damaged | Local volunteers clearing debris from structures |
| Commercial Assets | Poultry farm completely destroyed in Badarpur village | Loss assessment pending by local market officials |
| Emergency Services | Mehendiganj Fire Station: broken utility pole and trees | Firefighters monitoring highway obstruction reports |
| Civil Volunteers | Clearing vital roadways and assisting vulnerable families | Mehendiganj Elite Football Academy personnel |
Emergency Services and Grid Restoration Challenges
The Mehendiganj Fire Station experienced minor damage during the storm. Firefighter Mohammad Mamun, the designated duty desk official, confirmed that a mature mango tree and an adjacent utility pole had collapsed within the station’s perimeter. He added that while emergency crews were active, no official reports regarding completely blocked arterial roads had been logged by their station.
The Barisal Palli Bidyut Samity-1 zonal office has mobilised all available technical teams to handle the crisis. Mostafizur Rahman, the Deputy General Manager (DGM) of the zonal office, explained that restoring the network is highly challenging due to the scale of the damage.
“The storm has broken at least ten of our primary electrical poles and caused severe damage to wires due to falling trees,” Rahman reported. “Our technical crews have been working continuously since the morning. If we succeed in stabilising the main transmission line today, we may be able to restore power supply to a few selective sectors tomorrow. Because the extraction and replacement of broken poles is a time-consuming process, we urge our consumers to maintain patience.”
Efforts to reach Mehendiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Riazur Rahman and the Upazila Project Implementation Officer for official comment on government relief measures were unsuccessful, as multiple phone calls went unanswered. Local journalists have called on the district administration and wealthy citizens to extend immediate financial and relief assistance to the displaced families currently exposed to the elements on the eve of the national holiday.