Cyclone ‘Moca’ hits Bangladesh and Myanmar coast
Strong cyclones strengthened to Category 5 hit Bangladesh and Myanmar’s coastline.
According to the BBC on the 15th, Cyclone Mocha, accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds, destroyed more than 500 shelters in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp, and caused landslides and floods.
The Bangladeshi government did not allow Rohingya refugees to leave camps or build permanent structures, forcing refugees to deal with the storm in lax bamboo shelters.
Hundreds of people flocked to a school in the city that turned into a temporary cyclone shelter, sleeping at their desks and sitting under their desks because there was no empty space in the classroom.
More than half a million people have been evacuated from southeastern Bangladesh, authorities said.
The cyclone, considered the strongest storm in 20 years, also took a heavy toll on neighboring Myanmar.
Near the city of Sitwe, Myanmar, the storm cut off electricity and communication in many places, blew roofs and flooded streets.
Local media reported that a 14-year-old boy was killed by a fallen tree in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, and buildings were damaged and collapsed in various parts of Myanmar.
The maximum sustained wind speed within 75 kilometers of the center of the cyclone is 195 kilometers per hour, with gusts reaching 215 kilometers per hour, the Bangladesh Meteorological Agency said. The cyclone is 520 kilometers in diameter and will take time to completely pass through the coastline.
Cyclone mocha is expected to bring heavy rain, posing a serious threat to people living in hill camps where landslides occur regularly.
AI Ramanathan Balakrishnan, UN humanitarian coordinator, said, “It is a nightmare scenario for a cyclone to occur in an area that already desperately needs humanitarian aid. It is affecting hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people whose ability to cope with a series of crises has been severely undermined.”
Editor
03:09 May 15 2023