Cyclone Myanmar has caused extensive damage to houses, electrical transformers, mobile phone masts, boats and lampposts in Sito, Kyakpyo and Goa counties.
Publish dateMonday 15 May 2023 - 11:36
Story Code : 270063
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Monitoring: The storm, named Cyclone Mocha, made landfall in Myanmar's Rakhine state near Sittwe township, with wind speeds reaching up to 209 kph (130 mph), according to Myanmar's Meteorological Department. Tragically, at least three people lost their lives, and significant damage to infrastructure was reported.
Myanmar's military information office stated that the storm caused extensive damage to houses, electrical transformers, cell phone towers, boats, and lampposts in Sittwe, Kyaukpyu, and Gwa townships. In addition, roofs were torn off sports buildings on the Coco Islands, located approximately 425 kilometers (264 miles) southwest of Yangon, the country's largest city.
To ensure safety, over 4,000 residents of Sittwe were evacuated to other cities, while more than 20,000 people sought shelter in sturdy structures such as monasteries, pagodas, and schools situated in elevated areas within the city. Tin Nyein Oo, a volunteer at one of the shelters in Sittwe, explained that many local residents reside at an elevation of over 3 meters above sea level, believing this would protect them from storm surges.
"At the moment, the storm has not arrived, so we are not facing significant difficulties. However, there is a shortage of toilets due to the large number of people seeking shelter," he added.
Earlier, concerns arose regarding insufficient food supplies in the Sittwe shelters as more people arrived than initially anticipated, according to Lin Lin, the chairman of a local charitable foundation.
Titon Mitra, the UN Development Program representative in Myanmar, expressed readiness to respond to the situation, tweeting: "Mocha has made landfall. 2m people at risk. Damage and losses are expected to be extensive. We are ready to respond and will need unhindered access to all affected communities."
Reports emerged on Sunday morning of fatalities resulting from wind and rain across Myanmar. In Tachileik township, a rescue team from Shan state recovered the bodies of a couple buried in a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall. Local media also reported a fatality in Pyin Oo Lwin township, where a man was crushed by a falling banyan tree. In Sittwe, a cell phone tower collapsed, and other buildings suffered damage due to the high winds.
In neighboring Bangladesh, authorities had evacuated approximately 1.27 million people in the city of Cox's Bazar, which was initially in the storm's projected path. However, by early afternoon, it became evident that the storm would mostly bypass the country as it veered eastward, stated Azizur Rahman, director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department in Dhaka.
"The level of risk has significantly reduced in Bangladesh," he reassured reporters.
Although Saint Martin's Island experienced strong winds and rains during the afternoon, feared tidal surges did not occur as the cyclone crossed the Bangladesh coast during low tide, according to Dhaka-based Jamuna TV station.
Ahead of the cyclone's arrival, UN agencies and aid workers in Bangladesh had prepositioned substantial amounts of dry food and deployed dozens of ambulances with mobile medical teams in the sprawling refugee camps housing over 1 million Rohingya who had fled persecution in Myanmar.
Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar in May 2008, caused extensive devastation and claimed the lives of at least 138,000 individuals, along with the destruction of tens of thousands of homes and buildings.
Myanmar's military information office stated that the storm caused extensive damage to houses, electrical transformers, cell phone towers, boats, and lampposts in Sittwe, Kyaukpyu, and Gwa townships. In addition, roofs were torn off sports buildings on the Coco Islands, located approximately 425 kilometers (264 miles) southwest of Yangon, the country's largest city.
To ensure safety, over 4,000 residents of Sittwe were evacuated to other cities, while more than 20,000 people sought shelter in sturdy structures such as monasteries, pagodas, and schools situated in elevated areas within the city. Tin Nyein Oo, a volunteer at one of the shelters in Sittwe, explained that many local residents reside at an elevation of over 3 meters above sea level, believing this would protect them from storm surges.
"At the moment, the storm has not arrived, so we are not facing significant difficulties. However, there is a shortage of toilets due to the large number of people seeking shelter," he added.
Earlier, concerns arose regarding insufficient food supplies in the Sittwe shelters as more people arrived than initially anticipated, according to Lin Lin, the chairman of a local charitable foundation.
Titon Mitra, the UN Development Program representative in Myanmar, expressed readiness to respond to the situation, tweeting: "Mocha has made landfall. 2m people at risk. Damage and losses are expected to be extensive. We are ready to respond and will need unhindered access to all affected communities."
Reports emerged on Sunday morning of fatalities resulting from wind and rain across Myanmar. In Tachileik township, a rescue team from Shan state recovered the bodies of a couple buried in a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall. Local media also reported a fatality in Pyin Oo Lwin township, where a man was crushed by a falling banyan tree. In Sittwe, a cell phone tower collapsed, and other buildings suffered damage due to the high winds.
In neighboring Bangladesh, authorities had evacuated approximately 1.27 million people in the city of Cox's Bazar, which was initially in the storm's projected path. However, by early afternoon, it became evident that the storm would mostly bypass the country as it veered eastward, stated Azizur Rahman, director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department in Dhaka.
"The level of risk has significantly reduced in Bangladesh," he reassured reporters.
Although Saint Martin's Island experienced strong winds and rains during the afternoon, feared tidal surges did not occur as the cyclone crossed the Bangladesh coast during low tide, according to Dhaka-based Jamuna TV station.
Ahead of the cyclone's arrival, UN agencies and aid workers in Bangladesh had prepositioned substantial amounts of dry food and deployed dozens of ambulances with mobile medical teams in the sprawling refugee camps housing over 1 million Rohingya who had fled persecution in Myanmar.
Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar in May 2008, caused extensive devastation and claimed the lives of at least 138,000 individuals, along with the destruction of tens of thousands of homes and buildings.
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