State television broadcast cyclone warnings after the President Thein Sein instructed regional authorities to be ready in case the storm hits the country.
On May 11 the government issued a warning that a cyclone forming in the Bay of Bengal could crash into the western coast of Arakan State.
If the storm strikes it could spell a humanitarian catastrophe for displaced Rohingya living in squalid conditions in Sittwe (Akyab). Heavy rain and 100 kph (60 mph) winds would hit the state by Thursday morning, according to meteorologists. If this happens it’s feared it in inundate many of the low-lying Rohingya camps where people have fled from the sectarian violence in June and October of last year.
Maungdaw Township villagers have reported seeing telltale signs that the cyclone is approaching; clouds formations and rising temperatures.
State authority are making some arrangements to relocate people to safer ground, utilizing the space in 2 monasteries and the Maungdaw high school to serve as shelters from the storm. Akyab residents are being moved further inland.
Around 125,000 people – mostly Rohingya Muslims---are living in overcrowded tents and makeshift shelters in Rakhine state. Nearly 70,000 reside in low-lying areas along the coast that are vulnerable to storm surges and flooding. They should all be moved to higher ground, said Ashok Nigam, the United Nations' resident and humanitarian coordinator.
Kelland Stevenson, Myanmar director of Save the Children, said aid agencies held an emergency meeting last Saturday to make contingency plans to ensure there are adequate stocks of food and shelter available.
"The information we're getting now is that the storm is pursuing away from Rakhine state, but it can change course at any minute," Stevenson said.
But Chit Kyaw, the deputy director of Myanmar's Department of Meteorology, said that if the cyclone stays on its course toward Bangladesh, its whirling arms could sweep over Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships in the northernmost parts of the state.
Mr. Nigam said the UN is urging the government to move the most vulnerable displaced people to higher ground as preventive measures.
A Maungdaw businessman said, “If the cyclone hits Rakhine north, it is sure that Rohingya will not get any help from the government side as they neglected them when previous cyclones happened.”
