New Delhi - Incessant rain in Rangoon over the past two days has led to rumors that a major storm is heading for the city, igniting fear among residents and businessmen alike.
While there is no confirmation of the source of the rumor, it has caused fear throughout the city and particularly among businessmen in Burma's fishing industry, who are reportedly looking for places to be used as warehouses for their fishing products, a housing dealer who was reportedly approached by several fishing businessmen told Mizzima.
"Fishery businessmen are searching for temporary warehouses which are far away from the seashore to save their commodities in case any storm comes again," the dealer said.
The rumor that fresh storms are to make a landfall near Burma's former capital started spreading two days ago as incessant pounded Rangoon and other coastal regions.
Coming only months after Cyclone Nargis struck the region, the rumor has caused fresh fear among the people.
"Fishing boats are now stopping to sail and some are repairing, they are preparing their best to avoid another loss as happened during Cyclone Nargis," said a worker at Annawa Fishing Company in Rangoon's Pazuntaung Township.
Similarly, villagers in Thingangyi of Laputta Township, one of the villages worst hit by Nargis, are worrying about the threat of another storm after hearing a brief warning on state-own television, Myanmar TV, on Sunday.
"We are prepared to move to another village, where we can somehow get far from the coast. Some people have already begun to move," a villager, who deals in the salt business, said.
He added that pouring rain had first hit their village four days previously, which made people worry that another cyclone such as Nargis might again strike, causing people to abandon their work and listen to the radio for information on the storm.
"We are not afraid of wind, even if it is strong, but if waves like Cyclone Nargis come again, none of us can escape," said the villager.
But unlike the fears of villagers and residents in Rangoon, the Myanmar Meteorological Department in Rangoon said there is no danger that a major cyclone as big as Nargis would again strike the delta region in the foreseeable future.
According to data on Monday morning, the present storm, which started in the mid-west of the Bay of Bengal, has moved to the northeast and across the coast between India and Bangladesh, entering Bangladesh, an official at the meteorological department said.
The storm is continuing to move towards the northeast and will weaken within 24 hours. However, because of the storm there will be a wave surge and winds with speeds of 30-40 miles per hour likely to blow in, the official said.
"The storm has gone and it is too far from Burma," the official added.
The official explained that the meteorological department announced a public warning that a small storm might head Burma's way within 24 to 36 hours, but that the rumors are based on exaggerated information.
The official admitted that, "People are worried, we have received numerous calls asking about the weather situation and on any likely storms heading this way."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Indian Meteorological Department in New Delhi, which monitors and provides warnings on cyclones in the region, said there are no signs of cyclonic storms heading towards Burma at the moment.
"No, for the remainder of this month there are no tropical storms seen for Burma," B.P Yadav, spokesperson of the Indian Meteorological Department said, but he added that reliable forecasts are not yet available for next month.
