World's biggest refugee camp in Cox's Bazar braces for Cyclone Mocha

Bangladesh and Myanmar are actively working to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people from one of the most vulnerable areas in the region due to the potential cause of widespread destruction.

The cyclone could hit the world's biggest refugee camp in Bangladesh, home to about a million Rohingyas who fled there years ago from neighboring Myanmar, reports Bloomberg.

Myanmar's civil war has intensified since the military took power in a coup in 2021. The fighting has displaced over a million people, especially the minority Rohingya, whom the UN has alleged are subject to "ethnic cleansing" by the military.

The World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations agency, has warned of heavy rain, flooding and landslides potentially affecting "hundreds of thousands of the world's most vulnerable people," including the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and six million people in need of humanitarian assistance in neighboring Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Aid workers are worrying about the risk to more than a million Rohingya refugees, half-a-million children among them, living in camps in the beach town of Cox's Bazar near the cyclone's path.

However, the risk has decreased for Bangladesh as the severe cyclonic storm is heading towards Myanmar, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

Earlier reports by Bloomberg stated that the Bangladesh Meteorological Department warned of storm surges, flash floods and landslides in coastal districts. The country has raised the danger signal to 10 (on a scale of 1 to 11) for Cox's Bazar, and shut seaports and airports in the coastal zone.

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman on Saturday said the government doesn't have the capacity to shift 1.2 million Rohingyas living in Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to safer places in the wake of Cyclone Mocha.

In Cox's Bazar, a total of 960,539 Rohingya refugees (198,037 families) are living in 33 camps. Out of the 33 camps, 17 are managed by IOM where 486,737 Rohingya refugees (98,356 families) are living. -

427,697 Rohingya refugees (86,430 families) are living in IOM-managed 14 camps in Ukhiya. 59,040 Rohingya refugees (11,926 families) are living in IOM-managed 3 camps in Teknaf.

The state minister said 4,500 volunteers are working for the Rohingyas under the leadership of the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC).

"There is no fear of tidal surge on the hills. But heavy rains may trigger landslides. Keeping this in mind, I have asked the volunteers to be prepared," he said.

"The government has taken extensive preparations to deal with cyclone 'Mocha'," the home minister said, adding that almost all the people are being evacuated from St. Martin's Island.

"Residents have been advised of the extent of the storm in St. Martin area," he said.

Residents and all people have been instructed to stay alert and seek safe shelter, he added.

The International Organizational for Migration (IOM) mobilized, trained, and equipped 1,600 Rohingya volunteers to respond to emergencies. IOM has been a key partner in the Government of Bangladesh's cyclone preparedness programme and has renovated 45 cyclone shelters to cover the population from 11 unions of Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas.

A total of 31,444 Emergency Shelter Kits, comprising tarpaulins, bamboo poles, and ropes, were prepositioned in IOM AoR.

IOM implements Emergency Shelter Response to support the affected households with damaged shelters directly and through partners in 17 camps. Cyclone preparedness activity includes awareness-raising activities and prepositioning emergency shelter kits. 

IOM has prepositioned Emergency Hygiene Kits for 17,700 families – each of the Emergency Hygiene Kit set includes 5 pieces of bathing soap, 60 pieces of aquatab, a jerrycan, a bucket, and Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) kit.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has said the Rohingya refugees are extremely vulnerable to climate shocks, given how disaster-prone the area is and the poor living conditions in the camps.

"We ask the donor community to continue supporting them -in getting through this cyclone and also many other challenges they face, including reduced food assistance due to shrinking donor funding," said Simone Parchment, WFP Bangladesh deputy country director on Saturday (13 May).

Unimpeded humanitarian access to support communities in need will be critical in responding to any immediate impacts of the cyclone and for the longer-term recovery process.

The WFP is closely monitoring Cyclone Mocha, which is expected to make landfall this Sunday in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Working with partners, WFP said they are gearing up for a large-scale emergency response, putting in place contingency plans, and prepositioning food and relief supplies, vehicles, and emergency equipment.

In Myanmar, WFP has pre-positioned enough food to cover the needs of more than 400,000 people in Rakhine State and neighbouring areas for one month. At least 100,000 people in Myanmar's impoverished Rakhine state have moved to safer areas since last week, said a major ethnic militia and the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), reports Reuters.

In Bangladesh, WFP-fortified biscuits and 230mt of food stock are ready to be dispatched if needed in and around the camps for the Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar.

"We are preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. Cyclone Mocha is heading to areas burdened by conflict, poverty, and weak community resilience. Many of the people most likely to be affected are already reliant on regular humanitarian assistance from WFP. They simply cannot afford another disaster," said Sheela Matthew, WFP Myanmar deputy country director.

"People at risk are in the process of being transferred to safe shelters and we are also arranging relief packages," said Farah Kabir of ActionAid Bangladesh.

Anticipating interruptions to transport and telecommunications services, WFP teams are also putting in place systems to serve the broader humanitarian community with their preparations and potential response to the cyclone.