ေမာ္လျမိုင္မွာမုန္တိုင္း၀င္ျခင္း

Storm strikes part of Mon capital

IMNA

June 17, 2008

A tropical storm hit a military base in Moulmein at 10 p.m. yesterday, destroying trees and rooftops and briefly scaring people in the wake of Cyclone Nargis. No one was injured.

According to a resident in front of the Military Southeast Command base, the storm caused power outages when trees fell on electric lines. “Some of our roofs were destroyed,” she said.

A Moulmein resident from the new bus station said houses shook from high winds about midnight, but the storm did not affect the town’s interior. He added that the roofs from two houses in Hpa-an township near Moulmein were destroyed.

Two days ago, state-owned MRTV and newspapers warned that a storm and heavy rain would hit Mon state, Tenasserim division and the Irrawaddy delta.

Residents in Mon state have been afraid that a new cyclone would hit since the end of May.

Residents from Chaung-zone Township , Bilu Kyun Island , evacuated their homes near the mountain and sought shelter in monasteries and pagodas in Moulmein because of cyclone rumors.

Some Moulmein residents fled to the highest ground they could find: Kyaik Thanlan pagoda.

About 20 to 30 stayed in a Mon monastery near the pagoda, said the temple’s abbot.

Mudon township residents were also scared from strong winds that hit Monday night; however, it did not rain.

Authorities hoisted a yellow flag after Cyclone Nargis. The yellow flag means residents should be ready for a storm, while a green flag signals that the situation is normal but caution is in order. A red flag means people should run to higher, safer places from lower land.

According to a principal in Thanpyuzayart Township , local authorities one week ago put up green flags in every quarter and every government office in town.

Since May 5, township authorities have warned people to mover to higher land in every township in Mon State .