Damaged houses and uprooted trees: A cyclone of the highest category has hit the coastal areas of Myanmar and Bangladesh. A large refugee camp is also threatened by cyclone “Mocha”.
Tropical Storm Mocha has hit the coastal areas of Myanmar and Bangladesh. According to the Indian Weather Service, wind speeds of up to 210 kilometers per hour were measured. Meteorologists speak of the worst storm in the region in two decades.
The GDACS disaster warning system (Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System) has now set the hurricane to the highest level, the red warning level, and expects wind speeds of up to 259 kilometers per hour. “Mocha” had been gaining strength over the Bay of Bengal for days.
Damaged houses and uprooted trees
Initially there were no reports of deaths, but according to local media reports, trees were uprooted and houses damaged. A cell phone tower collapsed in the coastal town of Sittwe, Myanmar. According to calculations, Sittwe and large parts of neighboring Rakhine State in Myanmar are exactly on the route of the storm.
The storm made landfall in Rakhine State for the first time. There is a humanitarian emergency there due to the ongoing conflicts between the population and the military. Many people have been displaced from their homes and are living in makeshift camps, which are particularly vulnerable to strong winds and storm surges.
threat to Rohingyarefugee camp in Bangladesh
Also threatened by the storm is a Rohingya refugee camp located in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar. More than a million people live there in makeshift huts, which often consist only of thin bamboo slats and tarpaulins. The head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Bangladesh, Abdusattor Esoev, was concerned: “The huts are not strong enough to withstand such wind forces,” he told the Al-Jazeera broadcaster.
According to the authorities, Rohingya from “risk areas” were housed in well-fortified buildings such as schools. The government in Bangladesh usually does not allow the Rohingya to leave the camps.
According to local media reports, more than 400,000 people had been brought to safety outside the camps. People have been urged to stay away from shores where violent tidal waves were expected.
Storms increase in strength
Cyclones are not uncommon in the region at this time of year. However, they are rarely as strong as “Mocha”. Experts see climate change and the associated rise in sea temperatures as a possible reason why storms are becoming stronger.
Cyclone Nargis, which devastated large parts of the coast in May 2008 and claimed the lives of more than 130,000 people, is considered the deadliest natural disaster in the history of Myanmar. The military junta that was already in power in Myanmar at the time had blocked international emergency aid for weeks, which made the suffering of the population even worse.