Cyclone Threatens Burma And Bangladesh

Twin tropical storms in the Bay of Bengal have put millions of coastal residents in Burma and Bangladesh on cyclone alert.

2:06pm UK, Monday 13 May 2013

Burma

Bangladesh

Interactive Image: Cyclone Mahasen In The Indian Ocean

Millions of people living along the coast of the Bay of Bengal in Burma and Bangladesh are expected to be affected when Cyclone Mahasen makes landfall some time on Thursday.

Officials in Burma have begun evacuating people while the meteorological office in neighbouring Bangladesh is closely monitoring the weather pattern, which is believed to be gathering sufficient strength to be classified a "severe cyclonic storm" in the next 24 hours.
About 140,000 refugees from religious violence in Burma living in tented accommodation along the coast are believed to be particularly at risk from Mahasen.
Likewise, millions of people living on the coast of Bangladesh have been warned they are potentially at risk, the country's Met Office has said.
Myo Thant, a government official in Burma - also known as Myanmar - said: "There are still people living in temporary tents [along the coast]. Now we are trying to move as many of those as we can to the stronger permanent shelters."
He added that the permanent shelters would not have sufficient space to house all displaced people, and some people would have to stay with relatives or in school buildings.

Cyclone Sidr killed 4,000 people in Bangladesh in 2007

In Bangladesh, Chittagong provincial administrator Muhammed Abdullah said: "We've alerted the people living in the coastal areas, but not evacuated any of them because we still don't know where the cyclone will hit. But we're fully prepared to face any situation."
Around 30 million of Bangladesh's population of 150 million live along the coast.
Cyclone Mahasen is the result of unusual climactic conditions either side of the equator in the Indian Ocean, the UK Met Office has said.  "For the first time since 2009, cyclone twins have developed in the Indian Ocean," it said in a statement.
Two cloud masses had gathered on either side of the equator, each effectively feeding off the other.

Cyclone Nargis ripped through the Irrawaddy Delta in 2008, killing 140,000

"Over time, these cloud masses have consolidated and started to rotate to produce twin tropical storms," it added.
Only one of the storms - Mahasen - is expected to hit land.
Both Burma and Bangladesh have experienced severe devastation as a result of cyclones in recent years.  In May 2008, cyclone Nargis killed some 140,000 people in Burma.
In November 2007, cyclone Sidr killed 4,000 people in Banglades