Teknaf, St Martin’s Island bear brunt of Cyclone Mocha

Most of Bangladesh escaped without significant damage as Cyclone Mocha veered off towards Myanmar after making landfall around 6am on Sunday.

During a press briefing at the Secretariat, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman confirmed that no severe damage had been reported from the cyclone in most of the country.

Apart from the change in direction of the storm, a low tide at the time of landfall had also contributed to mitigating the damage, he added.

Although most of the country was spared, the powerful winds of Cyclone Mocha caused extensive damage to Teknaf and Saint Martin's Island in Cox's Bazar. Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Kamruzzaman confirmed that he had received reports of several people being injured in the two areas.

Most of the injuries were the result of falling trees or debris blown by the strong wind.

According to the UNO, as many as 1,200 houses on the island of St Martin's Island have been destroyed and thousands of people have become homeless due to the cyclone.

“Thousands of houses and structures in Sabrang Union, St Martin's Island and Shahpari Island have been damaged. Among them, 1,200 houses on the island of St Martin's Island were destroyed. Some houses were completely damaged, some partially. Trees and mud houses are broken here and there. However, there was no tidal surge,” he said.

Aditto Akash, manager of Jalkabbo Resort on the island, said the glass of most windows had also been shattered by the storm. However, livestock and animals were mostly safe, as there was no flooding on the island.

St Martin's Island Union Parishad Chairman Mujibur Rahman said: “The storm has caused extensive damage to the coastal area of St Martin's Island. Houses were destroyed and trees were uprooted.

“Thousands of residents of these houses have become homeless. For now, they will stay in the shelter until their own houses are repaired,” he added.

Quoting locals, Mujibur said: "At least 1,800 trees have been damaged. 10 people were injured. Among them, an injured woman is undergoing treatment at St Martin's Island Hospital. At present, the wind speed has decreased on St Martin's Island. Light rain continues.”

A total of around 10,000 houses were damaged in Cox's Bazar, according to Deputy Commissioner Md Shaheen Imran.

No serious damage to Rohingya camps
The cyclone did not cause any serious damage to the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, although locals had feared the worst.

District Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Md Mizanur Rahman said that the cyclone had hit with a less force than expected, so there was no major damage.

He said: "There were no reports of major damage at the camp. However, roofs of some of the shanties in the camp were blown away and there were reports of some uprooted trees due to the strong wind. There was no flooding in the camp."

According to reports, over 500 Rohingya shelters have been damaged, some completely and some partially. Some landslides were also reported.

As part of the cyclone preparations, UNHCR and IOM have stocked shelter kits in their warehouses. Once the rain stops today or the day after, the distribution of kits and repairing of damaged houses will begin.

The affected families have been moved to different areas, while some have taken shelter at their relatives' homes.