Situation

On 16 May, Cyclone Mahasen made landfall in Patuakhali District of Southern Bangladesh causing widespread destruction and leaving 13 people dead. Of the ten coastal districts hit, the three districts of Patuakhali, Bhola and Barguna were the worst affected. The Government of Bangladesh has reported approximately 49,000 houses have been completely destroyed and 45,000 houses partially destroyed. Over 1.2 million people have been affected and 1.1 million people were evacuated.

1. Bangladesh - Tropical Storm Mahasen struck southern districts on 16 May. The Joint Needs Assessment (JNA) is ongoing and preliminary findings are due to be presented tomorrow (21 May). 17 people have reportedly lost their lives, JNA results will provide a better understand of the impact of the cyclone on shelter and livelihoods.
   Source: PDC, OCHA Flash Update No. 7

Some deaths have been reported in Bangladesh, where over a million people were evacuated. The caution was justified: in 1970, Cyclone Bhola killed some 400,000 people, in 2007, Cyclone Sidr killed nearly 4,000.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tropical Cyclone Mahasen is due to make landfall in Bangladesh, near the Burma border, on May 16 with winds of up to 63 miles per hour

• The storm has already caused 7 deaths and displaced 115,000 people in Sri Lanka as it tracked near the country

• Humanitarian preparedness activities are underway in Bangladesh and Burma, including pre-positioning of relief supplies and evacuation of populations residing in areas at high risk of severe storm impact

As Tropical Cyclone Mahasen travels north-east through the Bay of Bengal, humanitarian agency World Vision is prepared to mount a relief response across vulnerable areas in Bangladesh, Myanmar, India and Sri Lanka. The cyclone’s current path anticipates landfall in Bangladesh this Friday.

The highest impact, tidal surge and rainfall predictions are predicted to hit Chittagong and Cox Bazaar areas in Bangladesh but could also threaten at least 8.2 million people, many of them children, living along the coastlines of northeast India. Myanmar and Sri Lanka.