Cyclone Mocha: 17,000 volunteers ready in Chittagong

About 17,000 volunteers are ready in Chittagong in a bid to tackle the imminent threat of Cyclone Mocha.

A total of 8,880 CPP volunteers and 8,000 Red Crescent Youth's volunteers are deployed to take care of any situation, said Md Towhidul Islam, Nejarat Deputy Collector (NDC) of Chittagong District Administration.

He said that more than 1,000 volunteers from the Chittagong district administration's relief and rehabilitation department relocated residents of Chittagong's risky hills and Patenga, Halishahar, Kattali Jelepara areas to safe shelters. 

Dhaka Tribune

Ishtakul Islam, youth chief of the Chittagong Red Crescent, told Dhaka Tribune: "We are working separately with Chittagong City Corporation and Chittagong District Administration." We have been spreading Cyclone Mocha awareness messages around the Chittagong city and upazila. Furthermore, Red Crescent Youth's volunteers are directly assisting in the rehabilitation of persons from vulnerable areas."

Meanwhile, numerous local volunteer organizations are working tirelessly to coordinate a response to Cyclone Mocha. 

Moshraful Haque Chowdhury Pavel, founder president of Chittagong's local voluntary group Team Manabik Chattala, told Dhaka Tribune: "We are working in coordination with the Chittagong district administration to deal with cyclone Mocha in Chittagong. We have been assisting the campaign to raise awareness of the fishermen residing in the sea shore areas at Akmal Ali Ghat in Halishahar and bringing them to the shelter since the morning."

He said nobody wants the disastrous landslides that occurred in Chittagong in 2007, 2008, or 2011. “We are assisting locals in taking the necessary precautions.”

Meanwhile, Chittagong Metropolitan Chhatra League, in collaboration with volunteer groups, was also conducting awareness campaign throughout city suburbs to raise awareness.