Deadly Cyclone Mocha displaces thousands in Bangladesh, Myanmar
Rescue and recovery operations continued across portions of Bangladesh and Myanmar on Wednesday, three days after Cyclone Mocha's direct strike on the latter country left a trail of destruction and rising death toll in its wake.
Officials fear that the loss of life from Mocha could climb into the dozens as workers continue to comb the hardest-hit areas. Hundreds are believed to be missing, according to The Associated Press (AP).
The exact extent of damage and casualties remains unclear due to communication lines that were severed in the cyclone.
Mocha made landfall near Sittwe on Sunday afternoon, local time, with peak sustained winds of 160 mph (257 km/h) and peak wind gusts of 195 mph (314 km/h). The storm was categorized as an "Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm" by the India Meteorological Department, which is equivalent in intensity to a strong Category 3 or Category 4 major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
The BBC reported that there was destruction across 90% of the city of Sittwe, the capital of the state of Rakhine in western Myanmar. Aerial images showed the extent of the destruction in the hardest-hit areas of the country.
More than 11,500 houses were destroyed in Myanmar as Mocha roared onshore, and the government has issued disaster declarations for 17 townships in Rakhine and four in Chin state, according to The AP.
Mocha was the first named cyclone in the Bay of Bengal for 2023 and the first since cyclone Mandous in early December 2022. It also became the strongest storm to strike Myanmar since Cyclone Giri in October 2010.
Although neighboring Bangladesh was spared from a direct hit, heavy rain and strong winds still impacted portions of the country. The AP reported that about 2,000 homes were destroyed and 10,000 others were damaged on St. Martin's Island and in Teknaf, located in Cox's Bazar district. So far, no deaths have been reported in Bangladesh.
Over 750,000 people evacuated villages close to the shoreline in Bangladesh in the days leading up to the storm, while the World Food Programme was gathering food and relief supplies to assist more than 400,000 in Myanmar, Reuters reported.
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Mocha quickly lost wind intensity as it interacted with the high-terrain of northwestern Myanmar early in the week. The once powerful cyclone still packed tropical moisture as it reached China's Yunnan province, where it collided with cold air and created a wintry scene.
An all-out blizzard was reported in parts of the province, which is located in the southwestern part of China that borders Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. Snow was able to accumulate due to cold air in place and plenty of moisture from Mocha, causing roads and properties to be blanketed in snow.
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The path of Cyclone Mocha over the Bay of Bengal and into northwestern Myanmar. (AccuWeather) |
"Cyclones are a common occurrence in the Bay of Bengal, and Myanmar is known to be one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world," AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls said. Nicholls had been monitoring the Bay of Bengal for early-May tropical development since late April.
Myanmar is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world, and climate scientists say cyclones can now retain their energy for many days. Scientists also say cyclones in the Bay of Bengal are becoming more intense more quickly, in part due to climate change.
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