A powerful cyclone bearing down on the Bay of Bengal coastline forced the largest mass evacuation in years along the shores of Bangladesh and Myanmar, with authorities racing against time to move more than three million people from low-lying coastal areas before landfall.
The storm, classified as a Severe Cyclonic Storm by the India Meteorological Department, was packing sustained winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour and generating waves expected to surge 2 to 4 metres above normal tidal levels along vulnerable delta regions. Bangladesh’s Meteorological Department raised the danger signal to its highest level for Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, and the island districts of Bhola and Hatiya.
Evacuation on an Enormous Scale
Bangladesh’s Cyclone Preparedness Programme — one of the world’s most praised disaster management systems — deployed more than 76,000 trained volunteers across 19 coastal districts. “Every shelter is open and we are urging people not to wait,” said Disaster Management Minister Mohibbur Rahman at a press conference in Dhaka. “We have learned painful lessons from past cyclones and we will not lose lives we can save.”
Across the border in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, already battered by years of conflict and flooding, the military-led administration issued evacuation orders for coastal townships including Kyaukpyu and Gwa. Aid agencies including UNHCR warned that Rohingya refugees sheltering in makeshift camps near the coast faced a particularly dangerous situation, with little access to sturdy cyclone shelters.
Bangladesh’s Vulnerability and Preparedness
Bangladesh sits at the northern tip of the Bay of Bengal, a funnel-shaped body of water that dramatically amplifies storm surges as cyclones approach land. The 1970 Bhola Cyclone killed an estimated 500,000 people, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Since then, Bangladesh has built more than 4,000 concrete cyclone shelters and developed an early-warning system that gives coastal communities 72 hours of notice before a storm makes landfall.
That investment has paid off: Cyclone Sidr in 2007 killed around 3,500 people, compared to the tens of thousands who would likely have died without the infrastructure. Cyclone Amphan in 2020 struck during the COVID-19 lockdown yet killed fewer than 100 in Bangladesh, testimony to how far the country’s disaster management capacity has come.
Impact on Rohingya Camps
Cox’s Bazar district hosts nearly one million Rohingya refugees in what is the world’s largest refugee settlement. The camps are built largely from bamboo and tarpaulin, offering almost no protection against cyclone-force winds. The UN Refugee Agency said it was pre-positioning emergency supplies and working with Bangladeshi authorities to move camp residents to reinforced structures, but warned that the sheer number of people and the congested terrain made a full evacuation impossible within the available window.
“This is a nightmare scenario,” said an UNHCR spokesperson. “These people already fled one catastrophe. They deserve protection from another.”
What Happens Next
Meteorologists expected the cyclone to make landfall within 48 hours, with the exact landfall point still uncertain by a margin of roughly 100 kilometres either side of Cox’s Bazar. India’s Odisha and West Bengal states were also on alert for heavy rainfall and coastal flooding. Disaster response teams from the Bangladesh Army and Navy were on standby to begin relief operations immediately after the storm passed. International agencies including the Red Cross and UNICEF pre-positioned food, water purification tablets, and medical supplies at staging areas inland from the coast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Bay of Bengal so prone to deadly cyclones?
The bay’s funnel shape concentrates storm surges as cyclones move northward, and warm shallow waters near Bangladesh’s coast provide energy that intensifies storms. Combined with a flat, densely populated delta, even moderate cyclones can cause catastrophic flooding.
What protections does Bangladesh have for cyclone evacuations?
Bangladesh operates one of the world’s most effective cyclone preparedness systems, with over 4,000 concrete shelters, 76,000 trained volunteers, and a tiered early-warning system that reaches remote coastal villages up to 72 hours before landfall.
Source: Bangladesh Meteorological Department / Reuters / UNHCR
