Cyclone Mocha pummels Bangladesh, thousands left homeless
Although there are no reports of casualties in Bangladesh due to Cyclone Mocha, some coastal areas of Saint Martin and Teknaf have been greatly affected. Nearly 2,500 houses on the island of Saint Martin have been destroyed and thousands are homeless.
The executive officer of the Teknaf upazila, Kamruzzaman, said, “In the Sabrang Union, thousands of homes and structures were damaged on the islands of St. Martin and Shahpari. Among them, 2,500 houses on the island have been destroyed.”
Some houses have been completely damaged, some partially. The wind has broken trees and mud houses on the island. But there was no tide.
Earlier, Cyclone Mocha hit the coast of Saint Martin around 3 pm, the chief of the district meteorological office said.
“Various infrastructures, including houses and trees, in those areas have been destroyed. But after the hit, the fear of great danger has passed. There is no possibility of more damage than what has been done,” meteorologist Abdur Rahman said.
Abdus Salam, a member of the Sabrang Union of Shahpari Island in Teknaf, said, “My entire area is surrounded by the Naf River. There are more than 600 houses. Among them, more than 400 houses have been destroyed by the cyclone. About one and a half thousand people are homeless. They need urgent government assistance.”
Champa Begum, a resident of Jalia Para on the banks of the Naf River, said, “After the storm started, I went to the shelter with my family. I looked back and saw the houses around were destroyed. Now I don’t know where to take shelter.”
