Cyclone Hits Bangladesh Canceling Flights in the Area

On Sunday, May 14, a powerful cyclone hit the coast of Myanmar, causing widespread damage and leaving at least 29 people confirmed dead, according to officials. The cyclone damaged a nearby refugee center in Bangladesh, but it appears that Myanmar's Rakhine State took the brunt of the storm.

Cyclone Mocha made landfall on Sunday afternoon near Sittwe township along Myanmar's Western coast with wind speeds of up to 130 miles per hour. The cyclone tore roofs off houses and buildings, leaving some trapped in low-lying areas of the country.

Luckily, officials had already evacuated thousands of people from the coasts of Bangladesh and Myanmar, preparing for the worst. Myanmar Airways International released a statement that they would not resume operations until Monday, May 15. Currently, there has been no indication that air traffic has resumed yet.

In neighboring Bangladesh, officials have already moved refugees from the Rohingya Refugee Camps from riskier areas to community centers, while others have fled to a resort island. 

According to Azizur Rahman, the head of Bangladesh's Meteorological Department, "Cyclone Mocha is the most powerful cyclone since Cyclone Sidr." 

Cyclone Sidr had hit Bangladesh's South Eastern coast in November 2007, killing more than 3000 people and causing billions of dollars worth of damage.

Bangladeshi authorities have banned refugees in the camps from constructing concrete houses, fearing that it may cause them to stay permanently instead of returning to their home country Myanmar, which they fled five years ago. Because of this, most structures are made out of bamboo and tarpaulin and unfortunately haven't held up well in the storms.

Officials have stated that thousands of volunteers helped Rohingyas flee the area in order to take shelter in sturdier buildings such as schools. However, according to Deputy Refugee Commissioner Shamsud Douza, "All the Rohingyas in the camps are at risk." 

Panic has also spread to the 8000 people inhabiting Bangladesh's southernmost island of Saint Martin's, the country's top resort district, which happens to be directly in the storm's path. Like the resort, operations have also been closed at Bangladesh's largest seaport Chittagong, with boat transport and fishing halted alongside it.