With Cyclone Mocha slamming into southeastern Bangladesh coastlines on Sunday, as many as 1,200 houses on the island of St Martin's Island have been destroyed and thousands of people have become homeless.
Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Kamruzzaman gave the information around 5:30pm on Sunday.
He said: “Thousands of houses and structures in Sabrang union, St Martin's Island and Shahpari Island have been damaged. Among them, 1,200 houses on the island of St Martin's Island were destroyed. Some houses were completely damaged, some partially. Trees and mud houses are broken here and there. However, there was no tidal surge.”
Locals said the island was affected by strong winds which uprooted trees, and blown away roofs of houses.
Aditto Akash, manager of Jalkabbo Resort on the island, said most of the window glasses were also smashed due to the storm.
However, he said, the cattle and street animals like dogs and cats were relatively safe as there was no flooding incident on the island.
St Martin's Island Union Parishad Chairman Mujibur Rahman said: “The storm has caused extensive damage to the coastal area of St Martin's Island. Houses were destroyed and trees were uprooted.”
Mentioning the number of damaged houses more than 1,200, Mujibur Rahman said: “Thousands of residents of these houses have become homeless. For now, they will stay in the shelter until their own houses are repaired.”
Quoting locals, Mujibur said: "At least 1,800 trees have been damaged. 10 people were injured. Among them, an injured woman is undergoing treatment at St Martin's Island Hospital. At present, the wind speed has decreased in St Martin's Island. Light rain continues.”
Earlier, Cyclone Mocha had hit the coast of St Martin's Island around 3pm. District meteorological office chief meteorologist Abdur Rahman confirmed the matter.
A member of Cyclone Preparedness Programme prepares to remove a fallen tree to clear a road in Teknaf on May 14, 2023 AFPHe said: “The cyclone hit the coast of St Martin's Island and Teknaf around 3pm. Various infrastructure including houses and trees in those areas have been destroyed. But after the impact, the fear of greater danger has passed. There is no possibility of more damage than what has been done.”
Abdus Salam, member of Sabrang union of Shahpari Island, in Teknaf, said: “My whole area is surrounded by the Naf river. There are more than 600 houses here. Among them, more than 400 houses were destroyed by the cyclone. About 1,500 people have become homeless. They need urgent government assistance.”
Champa Begum, resident of Jalia Para on the banks of the Naf river, said: “After the storm started, I went to the shelter with my family. After the storm, I look around and see that the houses are all destroyed. Now I don't know where to take shelter.”
Md Amin, resident of the same neighbourhood, said: “I have never seen such a strong wind before. Everyone in the neighbourhood was in panic. I was safe in the shelter. But looking back in the neighbourhood, their houses are broken. Many houses were washed away. Now I am sitting helpless.”
Referring to the damage of the district in the cyclone, Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Shaheen Imran said: “10,000 houses in the district have been destroyed. More than 200 of those were partially damaged, while the rest were completely damaged. St Martin's Island was the worst hit. 1,200 houses on this island have been destroyed. Besides, several people were injured, but no casualties have been reported so far.”
Many trees and houses were destroyed in St Martin's Island, Teknaf Sadar, municipal area, Sabrang, Deilpara, Jadimura, Konarpara and Galachipa areas. Roofs of the houses has flown. People in these areas were seen removing trees from the road.
Some residents of St Martin's Island said it was still raining in the evening. A gust of wind was blowing.
Magherpara, Konarpara, Galachipa, Dakshinpara, Paschimpara and Uttarpara experienced a lot of damage with the destruction of houses and trees. Several people suffered minor injuries.