BHOLA, May 13, 2023 (BSS) - A total of 18,600 volunteers have been kept ready to deal with cyclone 'Mocha' in the district.

Among them are 13,600 members of Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP) and 5,000 Red Crescent Society volunteers.

Beside, 746 shelters centres have been opened to protect people and animals during disasters. Ten lakh heads of cattle and 5,63,000 people can take shelter in these centers during disaster. A total of 98 medical teams have been formed to ensure the health care of common people. At the same time, eight control rooms have been opened in seven upazilas of the district along with the Deputy Commissioner's office, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Taufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury said.

Deputy Director of Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP) Abdur Rashid told BSS that 3 signal flags have been hoisted at 680 points in all units of the district after receiving the No. 8 emergency signal and siren sounding with miking. Publicity campaigns are being conducted to bring the people to the shelters centre and volunteers are working in the field.

District relief and rehabilitation officer SM Delwar Hossain told BSS that they already have 350 tonnes of rice, 8 lakh taka in cash and 164 bundles of corrugated iron sheets (dheutin ) in stock to deal with the cyclone.

Apart from this, an allocation of 5000 packets of dry food, 500 bundles of dheutin and 15 lakh cash taka has been requested for house construction. Six Mujib Killas are prepared for the protection of livestock in the shelter as well as in different pastures, he said.

District Fisheries Officer Molla Mdadullah said the fishermen who were fishing in the sea returned safely to the coast with trawlers. Miking is done by Fisheries Department to ensure safe location and that all seagoing vessels arrived at the ghat safely.

District Civil Surgeon Dr. KM Shafikuzzaman said the civil surgeon office of the district has formed 98 medical teams to ensure the health care of common people in the district when cyclone 'Mocha' hits.

He also said that to deal with Mocha, 218 community clinics including Bhola 250-bed General Hospital, 20 union health centers, six upazila health complexes, Khair Hat 30-bed and Dakshin Aicha 20-bed Hospitals have been instructed to provide round-the-clock medical services.

A total of 180 vials of antivenom have been kept in stock by the health department for the patients who were bitten by snakes in the disaster.

District Animal Resources Officer Dr. Indrajit Kumar Mondal said that 21 medical veterinary teams and 5 mobile veterinary clinics have been formed to protect the district livestock during the cyclone Mocha.

Executive Engineer of the Water Development Board of Bhola Md Hasanuzzaman said that Water Development Board of Bhola has 334 km of flood control dams. Vulnerable areas have already been repaired. Still, the dams that appear to be at risk are under construction.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Taufiq-e-Lahi Chowdhury said that all types of emergency services in the district are ready 24 hours a day to deal with cyclone Mocha. Every UNO has instructions on what to do in this regard. He said that the administration is trying its best to minimize the damage to be caused by the cyclone Mocha.