Connect with us

Connecticut

Cyclone Mocha Floods Homes and Leaves at Least 700 Injured in Western Myanmar

Published

on

Cyclone Mocha Floods Homes and Leaves at Least 700 Injured in Western Myanmar


Rescuers early Monday evacuated about 1,000 people trapped by seawater 3.6 meters (12 feet ) deep along western Myanmar’s coast after a powerful cyclone injured hundreds and cut off communications. Damage and at least five deaths have been reported, but the true impact was not yet clear in one of Asia’s least developed countries.

Strong winds injured more than 700 of about 20,000 people who were sheltering in sturdier buildings on the highlands of Sittwe township such as monasteries, pagodas and schools, according to a leader of the Rakhine Youths Philanthropic Association in Sittwe. He asked not to be named due to fear of reprisals from the authorities in the military-run country.

Seawater raced into more than 10 low-lying wards near the shore as Cyclone Mocha made landfall in Rakhine state Sunday afternoon, he said. Residents moved to roofs and higher floors, while the wind and storm surge prevented immediate rescue.

Advertisement


AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

Rescue workers help an elderly woman to reach a makeshift shelter after a storm in Teknaf, near Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

“After 4 p.m. yesterday, the storm weakened a bit, but the water did not fall back. Most of them sat on the roof and at the high places of their houses the whole night. The wind blew all night,” the rescue group leader said.

Water was still about 1.5 meters (5 feet) high in flooded areas Monday morning, but rescues were being made as the wind calmed and the sun rose in the sky. He asked civil society organizations and authorities to send aid and help evacuate residents.

At least five deaths have been reported in Myanmar by local media and rescue groups. Several injuries were reported in neighboring Bangladesh, which was spared the predicted direct hit.

Advertisement

Mocha made landfall near Sittwe township with winds blowing up to 209 kilometers (130 miles) per hour, Myanmar’s Meteorological Department said. By Monday morning, it was downgraded from its severe status and was steadily weakening over land, according to the India Meteorological Department.

The State Administration Council issued disaster declarations for 17 townships in Rakhine state.

High winds crumpled cell phone towers, but in videos collected by local media before communications were lost, deep water raced through streets and wind blew off roofs.

Myanmar’s military information office said the storm had damaged houses and electrical transformers in Sittwe, Kyaukpyu, and Gwa townships. It said roofs were torn off buildings on the Coco Islands, about 425 kilometers (264 miles) southwest of the country’s largest city, Yangon.

Volunteers previously said shelters in Sittwe did not have enough food after more people arrived there seeking help.

Advertisement

Mocha largely spared the Bangladeshi city of Cox’s Bazar, which initially had been in the storm’s predicted path. Authorities had evacuated hundreds of thousands of people before the cyclone veered east.

About a dozen people were injured on Saint Martin’s Island, while some 300 homes were either destroyed or damaged, leading Bengali-language daily Prothom Alo reported.

U.N. agencies and aid workers in Bangladesh had prepositioned tons of dry food and dozens of ambulances in the refugee camps that house more than 1 million Rohingya Muslims who fled persecution in Myanmar.

In May 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar with a storm surge that devastated populated areas around the Irrawaddy River delta. At least 138,000 people died and tens of thousands of homes and other buildings were washed away.

Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune city, said cyclones in the Bay of Bengal are becoming more intense more quickly, in part because of climate change.

Advertisement

Climate scientists say cyclones can now retain their energy for many days. Cyclone Amphan in eastern India in 2020 continued to travel over land as a strong cyclone and caused extensive devastation.

“As long as oceans are warm and winds are favorable, cyclones will retain their intensity for a longer period,” Koll said.

Tropical cyclones, which are called hurricanes or typhoons in other regions, are among the world’s most devastating natural disasters when they hit densely populated coastal areas.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Connecticut

Prominent TV News Anchor Sets Return Date Amid Medical Leave: CT News

Published

on

Prominent TV News Anchor Sets Return Date Amid Medical Leave: CT News


Patch PM CT brings you the breaking and trending news stories from all across Connecticut each weeknight. Here are those stories:

The news anchor has been off the air for a while but shared a status update and a return date.>>>Read More.


“This decision is based solely on the fact that we must dedicate the majority of time to our daughter and family,” the owners shared.>>>Read More.


The seventh-grader reportedly had it in a backpack.>>>Read More.

Advertisement

The man was arrested after a witness reported seeing a person fire more than one shot before running into an SUV, according to police.>>>Read More.


Two teens were charged after police responded to 911 calls and rushed to a school. The teens had water guns as part of a popular game.>>>Read More.


Twenty-Five people were arrested at a campus rally in Storrs.>>>Read More.


Other top stories:


The Patch community platform serves communities all across Connecticut in Fairfield, New Haven, Middlesex, New London, Hartford, Tolland, and Litchfield counties. Thank you for reading.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Connecticut

Employer of nurse killed in Connecticut halfway house facing $160K fine

Published

on

Employer of nurse killed in Connecticut halfway house facing $160K fine


A major health care provider is facing a $163,627 fine in connection with the murder of a nurse in a Connecticut halfway house.

The Department of Labor announced the citations Wednesday against Elara Caring in the death of Joyce Grayson.

Grayon, 63, was working at a halfway house in Willimantic on Oct. 28, 2023 when she was attacked and killed by Michael Reese, according to authorities. Reese, a 39-year-old convicted rapist, has been charged with her murder.

“Elara Caring failed its legal duty to protect employees from workplace injury by not having effective measures in place to protect employees against a known hazard and it cost a worker her life,” Occupational Safety and Health Administration Area Director Charles D. McGrevy said in a statement.

Advertisement

“For its employees’ well-being, Elara must develop, implement and maintain required safeguards such as a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program. Workplace safety is not a privilege; it is every worker’s right.”

Grayson had been a nurse for 36 years, including 26 years with the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. She was set to administer medication to Reese, who was on probation after serving 14 years in prison for stabbing and raping a woman in 2006.

Reach House, a halfway house for sex offenders where visiting nurse Joyce Grayson was found dead, is pictured on Nov. 21, 2023, in Willimantic, Conn.

According to OSHA, Elara Caring “exposed home health care employees to workplace violence from patients who exhibited aggressive behavior and were known to pose a risk to others,” yet the company had no harm-prevention plan in place.

Reese strangled Grayson to death and struck her on the head and torso while attempting to rob and sexually assault her, police said. He admitted to the crime in a phone call shortly afterward, according to investigators.

“I’m going to take the first offer that they give me as long as the charges are right,” he said, according to a warrant. “I’ve already come to terms that this is it for me.”

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Connecticut

Golf Ranch: Where Jeans Are Welcome and Fun is Unlimited in Connecticut

Published

on

Golf Ranch: Where Jeans Are Welcome and Fun is Unlimited in Connecticut


Throughout the course of my life, I’ve had a fluctuating relationship with golf. Catch the pun? While I appreciate the game itself, I’ve often struggled with its over-the-top rules and its exclusive past. What is it about golf that seems determined to drain all the fun out of it?

Enter Happy Gilmore, a movie that tickled me right where I itch (does not make sense). Happy had unique values and individual swagger which “the man” tried to beat out of him. Eventually, it was Happy that triumphed over establishment and took the golf world by storm. It’s a great story but it does not workout like that in real life. Try going to your local, private golf course in a Bruins jersey with your pals, be a little loud and take a running start at your ball and you’ll probably end up doing 5-7 upstate.

My perception of golf as a fun pastime was fading into the night until I discovered Golf Ranch, nestled at 1 Sand Cut Road in Brookfield. You might recall it as Golf Quest, but under new ownership, it’s undergone a remarkable transformation.

I had the pleasure of being invited to their grand opening last week, and the turnout was impressive, people were everywhere. With 66 bays equipped with Top Tracer technology, the fun is practically limitless. I was amazed to learn that you can virtually play almost any PGA course in America using the kiosks in each bay. Plus, they welcome all and host parties, all at a fraction of the cost you’d expect elsewhere.

Advertisement

It’s a blast.

Golf Ranch: Where Jeans Are Welcome and Fun is Unlimited in Brookfield

Golf Ranch is the hottest new fun destination in Brookfield, Connecticut. I was there last week for the ribbon-cutting and I came back armed with good news to share with all. Here’s a glimpse of what awaits you at Golf Ranch in Brookfield, along with some helpful tips for planning your visit.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Check out the Ethan, Lou & Large Dave Podcast on Apple and Spotify

What Would a Waterbury-Scented Candle Smell Like?

I saw the question asked in a social media group I belong to, and oh man, the answers made me laugh. You win again internet.

Gallery Credit: Photos by Large “Fried Clams” Dave

Advertisement

New Milford Photographer Captures Awe Inspiring Photos in All Seasons

Recently, I was cruising through my Facebook feed in the New Milford group when I came across a picture so beautiful I felt compelled to contact the photographer and ask some questions. His name is Tom Allen and he was happy to share more information and photos with me. 

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano





Source link

Continue Reading

Trending