Communities are bracing themselves for Tropical Cyclone Sidr which has now hit part of southern Bangladesh.

Ali Asgar, disaster preparedness project manager for the Bangladesh Red Crescent, said: "People are panicked and scared but the evacuations started last night and people are making their way to shelters.

"Those living on remote islands have also received the early warning messages and have been making their way to the mainland to the shelters."The situation is being closely monitored by the Bangladesh Red Crescent, which has been supported by the British Red Cross to help communities prepare for cyclones. Staff and volunteers have been working to ensure that people in the affected areas are ready and safe when Sidr arrives.

Cyclone shelters in Bangladesh 

Up to 800 people have made their way to each of the 85 shelters run by the project, where families in low-lying areas can seek refuge from the high winds and tidal surges of up to 20 feet resulting from the cyclone.

The cyclone preparedness project was set up more than a year ago. It aims to save lives and reduce the vulnerability of cyclone-prone communities by improving people's ability to prepare for a disaster both within their own household and the wider community.

Volunteers have been spreading warning messages that a cyclone is coming and have been paying particular attention to high-risk groups, such as women and children, who are often marginalised in society and previously have failed to receive such life-saving warnings.

Read more about cyclone preparedness in Bangladesh