Super cyclone Mocha made landfall along the Myanmar-Bangladesh coasts on Sunday after intensifying into the equivalent of a category-five storm, causing extensive damage to the southeastern coastlines and forcing the evacuation of over five lakh people in low lying areas.
The Cyclone Mocha, one of the most powerful cyclones seen in the country in nearly two decades – made landfall shortly after midday on the Teknaf shorelines before making its way through the Naf River that divides Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The powerful wind uprooted trees and damaged roofs of several houses in Teknaf and Saint Martin’s Island, which is situated about 9-km south of the tip of Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula. There was heavy rain along with strong winds in St. Martin’s, an eight-square-kilometre coral-rich island located in the Bay of Bengal.
“The ‘eye’ or the center point of the cyclone made its landfall shortly after midday today on the Teknaf shorelines, coming through the Naf River, ahead of its anticipated time,” Bangladesh Met office spokesman AKM Nazmul Huda said.
He said the tail or the rest of the severe storm, which was categorised as a very dangerous category-five cyclone, might take more time to cross the coastlines.
Citing sources, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported that St Martin’s Island, Teknaf Sadar and several other coastal areas have been affected by strong winds which uprooted trees, and blown away roofs of houses.
Administrative chief of Teknaf sub-district of Cox’s Bazar Mohammad Quamruzzaman said the wind was blowing at a speed of over 200 kilometres per hour in Taknaf and its southernmost part Shahpori Dip along the Bay of Bengal. Teknaf is close to Myanmar and separated from northern Myanmar coasts by the Naf River. Quamruzzaman said that extensive damage has been reported in Teknaf and Saint Martin’s Island due to the cyclone. “We have received news of several people being injured in these two areas,” he added.
Mujibur Rahman, the Chairman of Saint Martin’s Island, said many houses on the island were blown away by the strong wind. “I have heard news of several people being injured,” he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
Storm surges of up to four meters could swamp villages in low-lying areas. There are fears it may hit the world’s largest refugee camp, Cox’s Bazar, where over one million displaced Muslim Rohingya refugees live in makeshift camps.
Bangladeshi authorities have set up 55 shelters at Bhasan Char offshore island, where nearly 30,000 of the Rohingya refugees have been relocated from the mainland. Bangladesh exclusively dedicated the Bhasan Char to the Rohingyas though most of them live in the mainland of Cox’s Bazar adjacent to Myanmar borders. Most of them fled to neighbouring Bangladesh after a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.