May 16, 2023

May 16, 2023 Although most of the coastal areas were spared from Moka’s impact, St. Martin was severely damaged. Cyclone Moka just passed over Saint Martin in Bangladesh, with maximum wind speed of 147 kilometers per hour. The rest went over Myanmar. This is a relief for Bangladesh. Due to the change of course, this strong cyclone created in the Bay of Bengal did not hit the territory of Bangladesh very hard. Moka came towards the coast of Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong with great force, but in the end it hit the coast of Myanmar. Only a small part of the coast of Moka was touched, and several areas, including the islands of St. Martin and Teknaf, appeared to be inundated. About 11,000 people live on the island. About 2,000 houses were completely destroyed in Teknaf and St. Martin. More than 10,000 houses have been partially damaged. About 700 houses were almost completely destroyed. These are crude or made of tin, matting or tripal. About 300 more houses were partially damaged. Shops, hotels, resorts have also suffered damage. Many trees are broken. It is known that preparations were made before the strong cyclone Moka hit this time. According to the data, 7.5 lakh people were evacuated to shelters. Volunteers worked to evacuate them to a safe haven. People have been evacuated as shelters are within walking distance from homes. As a result, many accidents have been avoided. Although there were no reports of loss of life, the people of Saint Martin, Teknaf and Shahpari islands have faced huge economic losses. Bangladesh is a disaster prone country. The people of this country have to face terrible natural disasters like storms, floods and floods every year. After terrible and devastating cyclones like Sidor, Aila, Fani, Yas, this time Moka has hit Cox’s Bazar, Teknaf and Saint Martin. In recent times, due to climate change, various kinds of threats including natural disasters are being discussed. It is for good reason that proper preparation and implementation should be done to deal with the disaster. Long term planning should be adopted. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave directions for quick rehabilitation of the areas affected by super cyclone ‘Moka’ in the press conference organized at Ganobhaban, the official residence of the Prime Minister last Monday. The administration should take effective measures to rehabilitate those who lost their houses and crops in the affected areas. Infrastructural damage including coastal houses and roads should be repaired quickly. At the same time, the authorities should stand by the victims by assessing the amount of damage to crops and orchards and shops and resorts. The support that people initially received at the government level was temporary. Now they have to undertake permanent rehabilitation. In this regard, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has to play an active role.