Cyclone Mocha: Floods in Myanmar City, spares Bangladesh refugee camps

According to the latest updates, parts of Sittwe, the capital of Myanmar’s Rakhine state, were flooded after Cyclone Mocha. While the winds at 130 miles per hour ripped away tin roofs and brought down a communication tower. Two people were killed in a landslide, and a death has been reported by rescuers in Myanmar.

The largest storm to hit the Bay of Bengal in more than ten years swept into the seaside town of Sittwe, turning its streets into rivers, but has spared the largely densely-populated part of refugee camps in low-lying areas of Bangladesh.

The storm reportedly caused damage to homes, electrical transformers, cell phone towers, boats, and lampposts in the townships of Sittwe, Kyaukpyu, and Gwa. The largest city in the country, Yangon, is 425 kilometres (264 miles) to the southwest of the Coco Islands, where the sports facilities were also reportedly devastated by the cyclone.

Reportedly, over 400,000 people were evacuated in Myanmar and Bangladesh ahead of one of the strongest storms ‘Cyclone Mocha.’

Meanwhile, Indian Meteorological Department has reported that a severe cyclonic storm weakened into a severe cyclonic storm over Myanmar. According to the department, the system is continuing the weakening trend and will become a cyclonic storm during the next few hours. 

A crowded group of refugee camps in low-lying bordering Bangladesh were also spared by Mocha.

The Rohingya refugees in the densely populated camps in the Cox’s Bazar region of southeast Bangladesh, where officials relocated over 300,000 people to safer regions before the storm came, hunkered down inside their damaged homes.

Taking it to Twitter, the Indian Meteorological Department stated, “Cyclonic Storm “Mocha” weakened into a depression over Myanmar. The system is likely to weaken into well marked Low-Pressure Area during the next few hours.”

The department also mentioned, “SCS “Mocha” over Myanmar weakened into a Cyclonic Storm at 0230 hours IST of 15th May over Myanmar near latitude 23.5°N and longitude 95.3°E about 450 km NNE of Sittwe (Myanmar), 260 km of north-northeast of Nyaung-U (Myanmar) and 420 km ENE of Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh).”

Preparations for Cyclone Mocha

As the cyclone neared the border, thousands of volunteers assisted residents of Myanmar and Bangladesh in evacuation; 8,600 were stationed in Cox’s Bazar and another 3,400 in refugee camps. About 200 individuals looked for shelter in Pauktaw.