Very destructive hurricane on its way to Bangladesh and Myanmar, half a million people on the run | Abroad

Hurricane Mocha is likely to hit eastern Bangladesh and Myanmar on Sunday. According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Service, the hurricane will intensify further and arrive between Cox’s Bazar (the southwestern tip of the country) and Kyaukpyu in neighboring Myanmar. More than one million Rohingya refugees live in the border area, who fled the violence of the Myanmar army in 2017.

The very heavy hurricane may cause sea waves of up to 3.66 meters. Myanmar’s western coastal region, Rakhine, is home to some six million people in need of humanitarian assistance, as well as 1.2 million people who have been displaced. Since the military junta seized power in Myanmar two years ago, the country has been gripped by violence, repression and economic malaise. On site, the World Food Program indicates that it has prepared resources and food for roughly 400,000 people, who could live on it for a month.

“We prepare for the worst while hoping for the best. Cyclone Mocha is heading towards areas already heavily burdened by conflict, poverty and low resilience,” the organization said. There, too, at least ten thousand residents have already left their homes in search of a safe place. Monasteries, temples and schools, among others, must provide the necessary security.

From Bangladesh – which as a delta nation is extremely vulnerable to flooding – a government official says that the country is “concentrating on saving lives and that people at risk of landslides will be evacuated.” According to him, thousands of volunteers, many of them medical personnel, are being deployed to help with this.

There, too, thousands of people have already fled and the authorities say they have made arrangements to evacuate half a million people. In the coastal areas, volunteers urge people through loudspeakers to look for a safe place to stay. The navy keeps 21 ships, maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters ready for rescue and relief operations.