Cyclone Mocha to overflow St Martin’s Island

The extremely severe cyclone ‘Mocha’ is approaching Cox’s Bazar coast. Meteorologists predict that it is likely to make a landfall with 170 kilometers per hour.

Abdur Rahman, Acting Chief Meteorologist Cox’s Bazar Met Office, said, “The cyclonic storm Mocha will hit the southern part of Teknaf that means St. Martins and Myanmar coast. The storm is likely to hit the coral islands with terrible rampage.”

Abdur Rahman came up with the apprehension at the preparation meeting organized by the district administration to deal with cyclone Mocha.

St. Martin is a small coral islands located in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal. The just eight square kilometers island is located in the estuary of the Naf River, about nine kilometers south of Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar district and eight kilometers west of the Myanmar coast. Due to the open environment, parts of the island are submerged by the tides of the full moon, and the water recedes during low tide. The people of this islands are afraid of natural disasters all year round.

Meteorologist Omar Farooq told risingbd that super cyclone ‘Mocha’ in the Bay of Bengal is likely to hit on Sunday (May 14) morning. At that time, there may be tides in several coastal areas. The coastal districts of Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram and the low-lying areas of the outlying islands and chars may be inundated by wind-driven tides of 8 to 12 feet (about 3.7 m) above the normal high tide. The average elevation of St Martin Islands above sea level is 3.6 meters. The expected high tide will submerge the entire islands of St Martin. However, how long this tide will last, it cannot be said now.

Mujibur Rahman, Chairman of Saint Martin’s Union Parishad, said, “There had been severe cyclones before. However, Saint Martin suffered no major damage. God save this islands. I hope this time too, nothing will happen. However, we islanders are currently in safe place.”