Rescuers executed an evacuation of about 1,000 people, trapped due to water from the sea with depth of 3.6 meters (12 feet) along western coast of Myanmar, post the powerful cyclone “Mocha” caused injury in hundreds and isolated one of Asia’s least developed countries through cut off communication. The limit of destruction and the death toll are yet to be declared.
Almost 700 of about 20,000 people sheltered in the sturdier buildings on the highlands of Sittwe township were injured due to effective and strong winds. People were sheltered in monasteries, pagodas and schools, according to a leader of the Rakhine Youths Philanthropic Association in Sittwe, as per a report by PTI. At least three casualties were reported earlier in Myanmar, followed by several injuries reported in neighbouring Bangladesh, which was spared of the initial predicted direct hit.
Seawater flowed rapidly into the 10 low-lying wards, nearest to the shore, as Cyclone Mocha made a landfall in the Rakhine state on Sunday afternoon. Residents sought shelter on higher floors and roofs, where they were entrapped and deprived of immediate rescue due to the wind and storm surge.
“After 4 p.m. yesterday, the storm weakened a bit, but the water did not fall back. Most of them sat on the roof and at the high places of their houses the whole night. The wind blew all night,” the rescue group leader said.
Water was above 1.5 meters (5 feet) in the areas flooded on Monday morning, but rescuers started attempting to save lives as the day cleared off the winds. Assistance was sought from the civil society organizations and authorities for aid and evacuation of the residents.
Volunteers had previously complained of insufficient food in the shelters of Sittwe, after more victims of the calamity arrived seeking help.
The Bangladeshi city of Cox’s Bazar, which fell in the storm’s predicted path initially was largely spared by the cyclone. Concerned authorities had already evacuated people in thousands before the cyclone steered east.
The Saint Martin’s Island also witnessed injuries in dozen, along with damage and demolition of about 300 homes, as reported by the leading Bengali-language daily Prothom Alo. U.N. agencies and aid workers had stored dry food in tons and a number of ambulances beforehand, in the refugee camps that provides shelter to more than 1 million Rohingya Muslims who fled oppression in Myanmar.
Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal are becoming more intense more quickly, in part because of climate change, said Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune city, reported PTI.
Climate scientists said cyclones can now retain their energy for several days. In 2020, the Cyclone Amphan travelled as a strong cyclone on lands of eastern India and caused extensive damage. “As long as oceans are warm and winds are favourable, cyclones will retain their intensity for a longer period,” Koll said.
