The severe cyclonic storm ‘Mokha’ reached the coastal areas of Bangladesh and Myanmar on Sunday. Earlier it had turned into a severe cyclonic storm of the fifth category.
The severe cyclonic storm ‘Mokha’ reached the coastal areas of Bangladesh and Myanmar on Sunday. Earlier it had turned into a severe cyclonic storm of the fifth category. Due to this, there has been widespread damage in the south-eastern coastal areas and more than half a million people have been evacuated to safer places in low-lying areas. Cyclone Mokha, moving through the Naf River that divides Bangladesh and Myanmar, hit the Teknaf coastline in the afternoon.
Bangladesh Meteorological Department spokesman A.K.M. The epicenter of the cyclone crossed the Naf river and reached the Teknaf coastline shortly after noon today, ahead of its expected time, Najmul Huda told PTI. He said that Mokha, classified as a category five cyclone considered extremely dangerous, may take more time to cross the coastline. Strong winds uprooted trees and damaged roofs on several homes in Teknaf and St. Martin Islands. Teknaf and St. Martin Islands are located approximately nine km south of the tip of the Cox’s Bazar-Tecnaf Peninsula.
St Martin, an eight square kilometer island in the Bay of Bengal, received heavy rain accompanied by strong winds. Bangladesh’s south-eastern Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf sub-district administrative head Mohammad Kamruzzaman said Teknaf and its southern part Shahpori Dip near the Bay of Bengal were experiencing winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour. Teknaf is near Myanmar and is separated from the coast of northern Myanmar by the Naf River.
The weather is appalling because of the very high wind velocity, but there are no large-scale waves yet,” Kamruzzaman said. Weather officials said that the Naaf river is currently experiencing high waves which started at 11 am and will continue till 5 pm (local time). Due to the cyclone, it is raining heavily and strong winds are blowing. Due to this, dangerous floods can occur in the areas around the Bay of Bengal. There are fears that the storm could hit Bangladesh’s southeastern border district of Cox’s Bazar where more than one million Rohingya refugees live.
According to the latest bulletin issued by the Meteorological Department, waves of eight to 12 feet above normal due to wind are likely to inundate low-lying areas of Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong. According to the news of ‘bdnews24.com’, there is a possibility of inundation in low-lying areas of Feni, Noakhali, Laxampur, Chandpur and Bhola due to high waves of five to seven feet above normal. Meteorologists say that ‘Mokha’ is one of the most powerful cyclones to hit Bangladesh in almost two decades. The category four cyclone has intensified to that of a category five storm. About five lakh people have been shifted to safer areas.
In preparation for the storm, Bangladesh has closed airports near the affected area and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea. Officials said the government, in coordination with UN agencies and aid workers, has arranged tons of dry food and kept dozens of ambulances and mobile medical teams on standby at the Rohingya refugee camp. The World Meteorological Organization, a UN agency, has warned that the cyclone will cause heavy rains, floods and landslides along the coasts of Bangladesh and Myanmar. However, Mohammad Aziz Ur Rahman, director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, said the threat to Bangladesh has subsided. He said the threat to Myanmar and its southern region could be greater.
Disclaimer:Prabhasakshi has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.
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