Powerful Cyclone Mocha made landfall on Myanmar’s west coast on Sunday and is hurtling toward millions of vulnerable people with winds equivalent to a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, as aid agencies warn of the potential for a major disaster. .
Since forming in the Bay of Bengal on Thursday, the tropical cyclone has intensified, with sustained winds of 259 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 315 kilometers per hour, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said on Sunday that Mocha is likely to move north-north-eastwards through Myanmar’s Rakhine state and “completely cross” Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh, which is home to the country’s largest refugee camp. of the world.
Aid agencies in Bangladesh and Myanmar say they have launched a massive emergency plan as the storm brings strong winds and rain to the region, along with the threat of flooding and landslides.
Disaster response teams and more than 3,000 local volunteers who have been trained in disaster preparedness and first aid have been put on standby at the camps, and a national cyclone early warning system is in place, according to Sanjeev Kafley, head of delegation. from the IFRC Bangladesh Delegation.
Kafley said there are 7,500 emergency shelter kits, 4,000 hygiene kits and 2,000 water containers ready to be distributed. In addition, mobile health teams and dozens of ambulances are on standby to care for refugees and Bangladeshis in need, with specially trained teams on standby to assist the elderly, children and the disabled, Arjun Jain, UN Lead Coordinator for the Response to Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh, told CNN.
“We expect this cyclone to have a more severe impact than any other natural disaster they have faced in the last five years,” said Jain. “At this stage, we simply don’t know where the cyclone will hit land and how hard. So we hope for the best, but we are preparing for the worst.”
Evacuations of people in low-lying areas or with serious medical conditions have begun, he said.
In Myanmar, residents of coastal areas of Rakhine state and Ayeyarwady region have started to evacuate and seek shelter in schools and monasteries. Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers are on standby and the agency is relocating vulnerable people and raising awareness of the storm in villages and townships, said Kafley of the IFRC.
The last storm to make landfall of similar strength was Tropical Cyclone Giri in October 2010. It made landfall as a peak Category 4 equivalent storm with peak winds of 250 km/h.
Giri caused more than 150 deaths and about 70% of Kyaukphyu City was destroyed. According to the United Nations, around 15,000 homes were destroyed in Rakhine state during the storm.
Rohingya refugees preparing for the worst
Around 1 million members of the stateless Rohingya community, who fled persecution in nearby Myanmar during a military crackdown in 2017, are living in the sprawling and overcrowded camps of Cox’s Bazar.
Most live in bamboo and canvas shelters perched on mountain slopes that are vulnerable to high winds, rain and mudslides.
Jain said the shelters can only withstand wind speeds of 40 kilometers per hour (24 mph) and he expects Cyclone Mocha’s winds to exceed that.
“The low-lying areas of the camps are likely to flood quickly, destroying shelters, facilities such as learning centers, as well as infrastructure such as bamboo-built bridges,” he said.
The cyclone adds to an already disastrous year for the Rohingya, and without more funding from the international community, Jain said they won’t have enough to rebuild.
“They faced a 17% cut in their food rations earlier this year due to funding cuts and we expect a further cut in their rations in the coming months. 16,000 refugees lost their homes in a devastating fire in March. And now they must deal with the cyclone. Unfortunately, we don’t even have the funds to help refugees rebuild their homes and facilities if the devastation is severe,” he said.
There is also concern about the 30,000 Rohingya refugees housed on an isolated, flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal called Bhasan Char. The UN refugee agency said volunteers and medical staff were on standby and cyclone shelters and food provisions were available for those living on the island.
In Myanmar, around 6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Rakhine state and across the northwest, with 1.2 million displaced, according to the UN humanitarian agency.
Worrying climate trend
In recent decades, there has been an increase in the strength of tropical cyclones affecting countries in parts of Asia, and recent research predicts that they could double their destructive power in the region by the end of the century.
While scientists are trying to understand how climate change is affecting cyclones, a slew of research has linked human-caused global warming to more powerful and destructive cyclones.
Tropical cyclones (also known as hurricanes, typhoons, and tropical storms, depending on ocean basin and intensity), feed on ocean heat. They need temperatures of at least 27 degrees Celsius to form, and the warmer the ocean, the more moisture they can absorb.
The waters in the Bay of Bengal are currently around 30 degrees Celsius, around 2 degrees Celsius warmer than the May average.
As the climate crisis raises ocean temperatures – which absorb about 90% of the world’s excess heat – it provides ideal conditions for cyclones to gain strength.
Warmer oceans also increase the chances of cyclones intensifying quickly, according to recent research.
Sea level rise fueled by climate change increases the risks by worsening tropical cyclone storm surges and allowing them to travel further inland.
Bangladesh and Myanmar are particularly threatened because they are low-lying and home to some of the world’s poorest people.
Source: CNN Brasil
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