Cyclone Mocha makes landfall in Bangladesh, Myanmar; West Bengal on high alert

Super cyclone Mocha made landfall along the coasts of Bangladesh and Myanmar on Sunday after intensifying into a category-five storm.
The powerful cyclone is bringing heavy rain and wind speeds of up to 195 kph, which could cause dangerous flooding in areas around the Bay of Bengal.
Storm surges of up to four metres could swamp villages in low-lying areas. There is fear that Mocha may hit the world's largest refugee camp in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, where over one million displaced Muslim Rohingya live in makeshift camps.
According to the latest bulletin by the Met Office, the cyclone is 250 kilometres south of Cox's Bazar and is now crossing the coast.
The forecast was it will make landfall with heavy rains and winds on Sunday afternoon. The low-lying areas of Cox's Bazar and Chattogram are likely to be inundated by wind-driven tidal surges eight to 12 feet above normal.
Tidal surges of five to seven feet above normal are also likely to deluge low-lying parts of Feni, Noakhali, Laxmpur, Chandpur, and Bhola, bdnews24.com reported.
Meteorologists previously warned Mocha could be the most powerful storm seen in Bangladesh in nearly two decades.
The category 4 cyclone has intensified into the equivalent of a category-five storm. Around 500,000 people have been evacuated to safer areas.

West Bengal preps for impact

Disaster Management Force personnel are on high alert along the coastal areas of Purba Medinipur and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal. Seven groups of NDRF personnel including divers were deployed in Digha-Mandarmani coastal areas in Purba Medinipur district as the sea turned choppy.

Over 100 state disaster management group personnel have also been deployed in Bakkhali sea beach in South 24 Parganas district to keep an eye on the movement of tourists and locals who are being forbidden to go near the sea.

Arrangements have been made to evacuate residents of coastal areas in Purba Medinipur and South 24 Parganas districts during exigencies as the cyclones makes landfall.

The breaches in embankments in Sunderbans in particular are being plugged on a war footing; police and administration are using loud speakers to warn people from getting near the sea in afternoon.

"Though the weather office has predicted that Cyclone Mocha will dodge past West Bengal, we have taken all precautionary measures in case there is any change. We have shifted people living in the low lying coastal areas of Purba Medinipur, South 24 Parganas to our safe shelters and adequate relief materials have been sent to these areas," an official said.

Fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea.

Airports shut in Bangladesh

As part of its preparation, Bangladesh shut nearby airports, ordered fisherfolks to suspend their work and set up 1,500 shelters as people from vulnerable areas were moved to safer spots.
Officials said the government, with the support of UN agencies and aid workers, has kept tonnes of dry food and dozens of ambulances ready with mobile medical teams in sprawling camps of the Rohingyas who fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar.
Residents and officials fear the Mocha-triggered tidal surges could cause massive deluges and landslides, endangering the lives of those residing in hillside camps, where mudslides hit regularly.
The World Meteorological Organisation, a United Nations agency, has warned the super cyclone will cause heavy rain, flooding, and landslides around the coasts of Bangladesh and Myanmar.
However, Mohammad Azizur Rahman, director of Bangladesh Meteorological Department, said the risk for Bangladesh has reduced.
He said areas in Myanmar and its southern region are expected to be at greater risk.
"The risk has reduced a lot in our Bangladesh," he was quoted as saying by the Daily Star newspaper.

(With inputs from PTI)