Cyclone Mocha is strengthening in the Bay of Bengal and heading toward the world’s largest refugee camp

(CNN) — A tropical storm intensifies in the Bay of Bengal and is headed to hit western Myanmar and Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. About one million people live in vulnerable shelters in Cox’s Bazar, what many consider to be the world’s largest refugee camp.

Cyclone Moka formed in the Gulf for the first time this year and is expected to intensify before making landfall on Sunday, possibly in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state near the Bangladesh border.

According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Friday’s Mocha intensified to the equivalent of a Category 1 Atlantic hurricane, moving north at 11 kilometers per hour (7 miles per hour).

The storm’s winds could reach 220 kilometers per hour (137 miles per hour), equivalent to a Category 4 Atlantic hurricane, just before it makes landfall on Sunday morning, the agency said.

The Meteorological Department of India said on Friday that Mocha had intensified into a very violent cyclone storm and warned fishermen and trawlers not to sail deep into the bay for the next few days.

The agency predicted storm surges of up to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) could flood low-lying coastal areas in the cyclone’s path when it makes landfall.

Bangladesh also includes Cox’s Bazar, home to the stateless Rohingya community who fled persecution in nearby Myanmar during the 2017 military crackdown. Many of them live in bamboo and tarp shelters located on hillsides that are vulnerable to high winds, rain and wind. landslide.

There are also concerns about the hundreds of Rohingya refugees who are being held in institutions on an isolated, flood-prone island called Basan Char in the Bay of Bengal.

Ahead of the expected Mocha landings, aid agencies are working with local and refugee communities to strengthen emergency preparedness and response.

According to the United Nations refugee agency in Bangladesh. in a tweet “Emergency preparations are underway at the camp and on Basan Char Island,” he said, in coordination with the government and local aid agencies.

“Hundreds of Rohingya refugee volunteers are being trained in cyclone preparedness, identifying risks, informing communities, evacuating people if necessary, and responding to disasters,” UNHCR said in a statement. said in a tweet.

In neighboring Myanmar, residents of the coastal areas of Rakhine and Ayeyarwaddy provinces have started fleeing their homes and seeking shelter ahead of the expected cyclone landfall, according to local independent media Myanmar Now.

According to state media Global New Light of Myanmar, the ruling Myanmar military government has issued a cyclone warning and is taking precautionary measures such as preparing a disaster management committee to respond to potential disasters. claimed.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said widespread flooding, landslides and strong winds were expected around the landing area and across inland Myanmar.

The last named tropical cyclone to make landfall in Myanmar was Marsa in April 2017. Marsa was a tropical depression at the time of landfall, with winds up to 92 kilometers per hour (58 mph), but brought heavy rains and damage to nearly 100 homes.

In October 2010, Tropical Storm Gili was the last storm to make landfall with hurricane-strength winds. It landed as a high-end Category 4 storm with maximum wind speeds of 250 km/h (155 mph).

More than 150 people were killed in Gili and about 70% of Kyaukphyu city in Rakhine state was destroyed. The United Nations said the storm destroyed about 15,000 homes in the state.

The worst natural disaster to hit Myanmar was Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, which killed 140,000 people, severely affected 2.4 million and displaced 800,000, aid agencies said.