Thousands along Bangladesh, Myanmar coast told to seek shelter as powerful Cyclone Mocha approaches

As Bangladesh prepared for an extraordinarily severe cyclone, volunteers in coastal districts used loudspeakers to urge people to take shelter on Saturday.

UN organizations and relief workers prepositioned tons of dry food and dozens of ambulances with mobile medical teams in large refugee camps with over 1 million Rohingya who escaped persecution in Myanmar.

The Indian Meteorological Department said that Cyclone Mocha was approaching the coast of southeastern Bangladesh and Myanmar at 200 kph (125 mph) and 220 kph (136 mph). It’s expected to hit Sunday between Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar and Myanmar’s Kyaukpyu.

Bangladesh, with 160 million inhabitants, has around 1,500 storm shelters. The navy is readying 21 ships, marine patrol aircraft, and helicopters for rescue and relief operations.

Since Friday, rains and winds in Myanmar have forced more than 10,000 people in communities around Sittwe in Rakhine state to seek shelter in monasteries, temples, and schools, according to Lin Lin, head of the Myittar Yaung Chi charity foundation.

About 20 Sittwe accommodations are available. We ran out of food the next day since there were more guests than expected. He said we’re still trying.

Nihan Erdogan, the International Organization of Migration’s deputy chief of mission, said Bangladesh prepared extensively from Cox’s Bazar over the border.

He claimed his group had trained 100 volunteers in each of the 17 refugee camps to use flag warning signals during heavy rains, floods, and strong winds. Volunteers receive personal protection gear and emergency shelter equipment.

Margaret Harris, WHO spokesman, said 40 ambulances and 33 mobile medical teams were ready in Cox’s Bazar.

The cyclone’s strong rainfall could cause landslides in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Bandarban, and Khagrachhari.

Bangladesh, prone to floods and cyclones, gave Cox’s Bazar the highest danger signal. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department warned the cyclone might harm eight coastal districts.

The Department of Disaster Management’s director general, Mizanur Rahman, requested that 20 districts and sub-districts prepare quickly. They were concerned about Saint Martins, a little coral island in the Bay of Bengal where thousands of people were being protected.

Myanmar’s meteorological report stated the storm was heading toward Rakhine state’s Sittwe, which was under the highest weather alert.

The World Food Program prepositioned enough food for 400,000 people in Rakhine and adjacent areas for one month.

“We hope for the best while preparing for the worst. “Cyclone Mocha is heading to areas burdened by conflict, poverty, and weak community resilience,” said WFP Myanmar deputy director Sheela Matthew. “Many of the most likely victims already receive WFP humanitarian aid. Another calamity is unaffordable.”

Cyclone Nargis ravaged the Irrawaddy River Delta in May 2008. 138,000 people died and tens of thousands of buildings were destroyed.

Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, said climate change is making Bay of Bengal cyclones stronger faster.

On Friday, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported that thousands of Rakhine residents along the western shore were evacuated.

From Saturday night, Indian and Bangladesh authorities predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Andaman Sea, India’s distant northeast, and Bangladesh.

Climate experts claim storms can now keep their intensity for many days, as 2020’s Cyclone Amphan in eastern India, which caused widespread devastation. Cyclones will last longer if waters are warm and winds are favorable, Koll added.

Cyclones are among the most deadly natural disasters, especially in densely populated coastal South Asia.

___

Private foundations fund Associated Press climate and environmental coverage. See AP’s climate initiative at https://www.ap.org/press-releases/2022/ap-announces-sweeping-climate-journalism-project. All content is AP’s.