The intensity, spread and ferocity of Mocha may match the catastrophic potential of extremely severe cyclonic storm Nargis
Coastal areas of Bangladesh and Myanmar have been hit by ‘super cyclone’ Mocha. It is bringing heavy rain and winds of up to 195 kilometres per hour (120 miles per hour), which could see dangerous flooding on land around the Bay of Bengal.
UN agencies have been preparing themselves with mobile medical teams in refugee camps of Bangladesh where more than one million Rohingyas reside, who fled persecution in Myanmar.
The camps at Cox’s Bazar are in the path of Cyclone Mocha, with wind speeds of up to 220 kmph and gusts of up to 240 kmph, the IMD had predicted on May 13.
Heavy rain and driving winds began battering Sittwe, in Myanmar from about 13:00. About six million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and 1.2 million people have already been displaced across Rakhine and northwest Myanmar, even before the cyclone, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Electricity and wi-fi connections were disrupted across much of the Sittwe area, where videos show the tide rising dramatically and carrying debris down flooded streets.
The intensity, spread and ferocity of Mocha may match the catastrophic potential of extremely severe cyclonic storm Nargis, which struck the Irrawaddy delta — Central Coast of Myanmar — with unprecedented intensity on May 2, 2008, estimated Skymet.
Bangladesh has prepared more than 1,500 cyclone shelters, 21 ships, maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters for rescue and relief operations. The cyclone hit the coastline at 15:00 (09:00 GMT) with a diameter of 520 km, and is likely to take some time to cross.
Authorities in Bangladesh said heavy rains from the cyclone could trigger landslides in Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar along with Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari.
Climate scientists say cyclones can now retain their energy for many days, such as Cyclone Amphan in eastern India in 2020, which continued to travel over land as a strong cyclone and caused extensive devastation.
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