() — A tropical cyclone is strengthening in the Bay of Bengal and is on its way to hit western Myanmar and Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, where around a million people are living in makeshift shelters in what considered by many to be the largest refugee camp in the world.
Cyclone Mocha is the first to form in the bay this year and is expected to strengthen further before making landfall on Sunday, likely in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state near the border with Bangladesh.
According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Mocha strengthened this Friday and its strength is already equivalent to that of a category 1 Atlantic hurricane and it is moving north at 11 kilometers per hour.
Winds from the storm could reach a maximum of 220 km/h, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic, just before landfall on Sunday morning, the agency said.
Cyclone Mocha strengthens over the Bay of Bengal. (Credit: weather)
India’s Meteorological Department said Friday that Mocha had intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm and warned fishermen and trawlers not to sail into the bay for days to come.
The agency forecast that a storm surge of up to 2.5 meters was likely to inundate low-lying coastal areas in the cyclone’s path at the time of landfall.
In Bangladesh, that includes Cox’s Bazar, home to members of the stateless Rohingya community who fled persecution in nearby Myanmar during a military crackdown in 2017. Many live in bamboo and canvas shelters perched on mountain slopes that are vulnerable to strong force winds, rain and landslides.
Also of concern are the hundreds of Rohingya refugees housed on an isolated, flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal called Bhasan Char.
Ahead of Cyclone Mocha’s expected landfall, aid agencies are increasing their emergency preparedness and response with local and refugee communities.
The UN refugee agency in Bangladesh said in a tweet that “emergency preparations are underway in the camps and in Bhasan Char” in coordination with the government and local aid agencies.
“In preparation for cyclones, hundreds of Rohingya refugee volunteers have been trained to identify risks, inform their communities, evacuate people when necessary and respond after a disaster,” UNHCR said in a tweet.
In neighboring Myanmar, residents of the coastal areas of Rakhine State and the Ayeyarwady region have begun to evacuate their homes and seek shelter ahead of the expected arrival of the cyclone, according to local independent news outlet Myanmar Now.
Myanmar’s ruling junta has issued cyclone warnings and claimed to be taking precautionary measures, such as preparing disaster management committees to respond to potential devastation, according to state-run Global New Light of Myanmar.
The UN humanitarian office (UNOCHA) said in a situation report that there are “serious concerns” about the impact of the storm on vulnerable and displaced communities.
“Of particular concern is the situation facing 232,100 displaced people in Rakhine. Many of the IDP camps and sites in Rakhine are located in low-lying coastal areas susceptible to storm surges,” UNOCHA said.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said widespread flooding, mudslides and strong gusts of wind are expected around the area where the cyclone will make landfall as well as across the interior of Myanmar.
The last named tropical cyclone to make landfall in Myanmar was Maarutha in April 2017. Although Maarutha was the equivalent of a tropical storm at landfall, with maximum winds of 92 km/h, it brought heavy rain and damaged nearly 100 houses.
In October 2010, Tropical Cyclone Giri was the last storm to make landfall with hurricane-force winds. It made landfall as a high-end Category 4 equivalent storm with maximum winds of 250 km/h.
Giri caused more than 150 deaths and approximately 70% of the town of Kyaukphyu in Rakhine State was destroyed. According to the United Nations, approximately 15,000 houses were destroyed in the state during the storm.
The worst natural disaster to hit Myanmar was Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, which killed 140,000 people, severely affected 2.4 million and displaced 800,000, aid agencies said.
