Locals have taken refuge in 576 cyclone centres of the district from Saturday 8am to 2.30pm, according to officials

Cox's Bazar district administration has evacuated over 50,000 people to safe shelters as cyclone Mocha has intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm over the east central Bay of Bengal.

The move has been taken as the maritime port of Cox's Bazar has been asked to hoist great danger signal no 10 lowering the previous great danger signal no 8.

The people were brought to safe shelter from Cox's Bazar's Nazirartek, Samitypara, Maheshkhali's Dhalghata, Sonadia, Ghoribhanga and Kutubjom, Teknaf, Baharchhara and St Martin's Island till 2.30pm on Saturday.

Additional District Administration of Cox's Bazar Bibhishan Kanti Das said that the people have taken shelter in 576 cyclone centres from Saturday 8am to 2:30pm to be safe from the extremely severe cyclonic storm Mocha.

“We have opened the shelters since morning,” he said

“The people of the coastal areas have started coming in. Many more people will also come hopefully. However, it is not possible to say exactly how many people will take refuge,” said the official.

Rain began on Friday afternoon due to the effects of Cyclone Mocha. Since Saturday morning, the area has experienced intermittent rainfall and gusty winds due to the storm.

Samsul Alam, who sought refuge in the Cox's Bazar deputy commissioner's office, said: "Our homes are on the seashore. They could be washed away at any time. To save our lives, we arrived here early. Only Allah knows the outcome of this cyclone. May he protect us."

Mariam Akhtar, another resident of the seashore, said: "My husband is disabled. That's why we came here early. We were informed by the television and local announcements that the cyclone may begin to impact the area this evening, so we gathered everything and came to the DC's office."

‘No significant damage to St Martin's Island'

Cox's Bazar Met Office meteorologist Mohammad Abdur Rahman said that the cyclone is most likely to hit Sunday between 9am and 3pm.

He stated that since both sides of St Martin's Island are open and water can flow freely, the likelihood of any significant damage is low, as water will not accumulate in that area.

The weather office will provide continuous updates on Cyclone Mocha, he added.

Superintendent of Police of Cox's Bazar Md Mahfuzul Islam said:  “We have contacted every police station. Every person will be provided with support during the cyclone. People should show humanity through cooperation.”

Volunteers ready

The Cox's Bazar administration reported that around 8,600 volunteers from the Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP) and 2,200 volunteers from the Red Crescent Society are assisting people in reaching the shelters.

A total of 37 government establishments, including the offices of the navy, coast guard and police, have been prepared as cyclone shelters.

For emergency situations, Tk25 lakh has been allocated, of which Tk10 lakh has been dispatched to different upazilas.

In addition, 5.90 metric tons of rice, 3.5 metric tons of toast biscuits, 3.4 metric tons of dry cake, 194 bundles of tarpaulin, 20,000 packets of oral rehydration solution (ORS) saline, and 40,000 water purification tablets have been stocked.

In total, 576 shelters have been prepared, with a capacity to accommodate 559,900 people.

From Saturday morning, medical teams, the coast guard, navy, police, water police, district police, fire service, Red Crescent Society volunteers, scout teams, Ansar forces, and all other related agencies have been instructed to be fully prepared.

A control room has been established at the deputy commissioner's office. The mobile number for the control room is: 01872615132.