Houses, boats damaged by strong winds in Pauktaw Twsp

By DMG 24 Oct 2022

DMG Newsroom
24 October 2022, Sittwe

Locals have fled their homes in Pauktaw Township, Arakan State, following strong winds caused by cyclonic storm Sitrang. Some houses, boats and fish farms were damaged in two villages, according to locals.

Out of more than 300 people in Thae Kone Village, some 200 fled to nearby villages on Monday morning, a female villager who remained at the village told DMG.

“I am concerned about this night. We had strong winds and downpours today. Our house is already flooded. Two neighbouring houses have already collapsed due to strong winds. The storm has not yet moved over. We have elderly people at our home, and we are still weighing things,” she said.

As of press time, multiple houses had been entirely destroyed, and some fish farms were also damaged, another villager told DMG. Other villagers in the region were waiting until late afternoon on Monday to see if the storm might sweep over the area, he added.

“Many boats were damaged, and many houses were damaged on their roofs. Most of the children and women fled the village in the morning,” he said.

Parts of the retaining walls collapsed in Sin Tet Maw Village, and some villagers fled to higher ground as a result. Local residents were waiting until late afternoon to see if the storm was heading to their area, one villager told DMG.

“Some houses were also damaged, and their roofs were blown off. We are waiting and seeing the situation as the storm has not yet blown through. When it blows through in the late afternoon, we will evacuate the villagers to high areas. And we have also gathered vital items,” he said.

The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology on Monday said the cyclonic storm was moving north-northeast, and had arrived in the north Bay of Bengal, approaching the Arakan State coast.