“While tropical storm Mahasen reached the coastline of Bangladesh on Thursday weaker than anticipated, the preparedness work undertaken by the Government and humanitarian partners saved countless lives,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a news release.

An estimated one million people were evacuated from 13 coastal districts in the 24-hour period prior to the storm hitting on Thursday. Through its Cyclone Preparedness Programme, the Government activated a number of measures including mobilizing thousands of community volunteers, sending alerts and information to at-risk communities and advancing cash payments, as well as collaborating with international humanitarian partners to ensure a coordinated response was on standby.

Preliminary assessments from the Government indicate that 13 people died and some 1.2 million people were affected by the storm.

“While unfortunately there has been a loss of life, the Government demonstrated its commitment to disaster risk reduction and hase taken the necessary preparedness steps to prevent a catastrophe” said acting UN Resident Coordinator Pascal Villeneuve.

“This part of the world is regularly hit by major cyclones and so everyone took the threat extremely seriously and made sure the right measures were in place, and ensured communities in the path of the storm were safe and well informed.”

OCHA said it would continue to work with Bangladesh to restore livelihoods, shelter and provide clean water, sanitation and hygiene in affected areas.

Bangladesh has extensive experience in disaster risk reduction since adopting a series of preparedness measures following Cyclone Bhola in 1971 that killed more than 400,000 people. In 2009, when Cyclone Aila struck, many volunteers helped move thousands of people out of the disaster area, ultimately saving lives. The death toll from that tragedy was less than 200.

“Mahasen could be life threatening for millions of people in Bangladesh, Myanmar and India,” warned Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos. “Humanitarian organizations are working with Governments in Bangladesh and Myanmar to help people prepare for the cyclone.”

While the storm has weakened, it remains a category-1 cyclone, with wind gusts of 85 to 90 kilometres an hour. It is expected to hit just north of the Bangladeshi city of Chittagong, near the border with Myanmar, according to an update issued today by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which is headed by Ms. Amos.

“This part of the world is regularly hit by major cyclones and so everyone is taking this threat extremely seriously and making sure the right measures are in place to mitigate the impact and place everyone on alert,” Oliver Lacey-Hall, the head of OCHA’s regional office for Asia and the Pacific said earlier.

In Bangladesh, the Government has raised the cyclone signal level to seven – on a scale of 10 – and humanitarian agencies in areas most likely to be affected have started preparedness activities, including pre-positioning emergency supplies. OCHA also reports that the Government has ordered the evacuation of some 1 million people from 15 coastal districts.

The low-lying, heavily populated and disaster-prone country has carried out a number of measures, including the training of community volunteers, the establishment of disaster-preparedness drills and the construction of cyclone shelters, which have helped to reduce the impact of cyclones.

The devastating 1971 Cyclone Bhola claimed an estimated 400,000 lives in Bangladesh. In 2009, when Cyclone Aila struck, volunteers helped evacuate thousands of people from the disaster area, saving countless lives. The death toll from that tragedy was less than 200.

While preparations were under way in Myanmar, one of several boats carrying people from a flood-prone and exposed camp in Rakhine state hit rocks and capsized on Monday. Fifty-eight people remain missing and are feared drowned, according to the Government.

Ms. Amos expressed her sorrow at the tragedy and stressed the need for the Government to ensure that people can reach safety before Mahasen hits.

In Rakhine, the UN and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have started to implement a preparedness and contingency plan developed in March, which also supports the pre-evacuation plan the Government has developed in recent days.

In addition, authorities have started the process of evacuating tens of thousands of people who were displaced by inter-communal violence over the past 12 months, and moving them from camps to safe buildings or shelters.

“We are very concerned about the situation of displaced people in Rakhine state, particularly those in low-lying camps, and we are working urgently with the Government to find solutions that are viable,” said Mr. Lacey-Hall. “But we are running against time and lives are at risk.”

OCHA said that, according to the Rakhine authorities, some 36,000 displaced people have relocated as Cyclone Mahasen approaches. Humanitarian agencies report some reluctance by the uprooted to move due to a lack of understanding and fear that they will not be relocated back to the locations where they are currently living.

Aid organizations in Rakhine, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and OCHA, are monitoring as many of the relocations as possible. They are providing the uprooted with information on the storm, on the need to move to safe places and on the Government’s preparedness plan.

The government in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, today asked community leaders of both the Rakhine and Rohingya communities to help with the relocations by explaining to the communities the need to move to safe areas. UN agencies and their partners have stressed with both communities and the Government the importance of ensuring safety and the protection of people at risk.

OCHA reports that the Myanmar Government says it has 33,000 gallons of gasoline on stand-by in the event generators are needed due to power outages. The Ministry of Health says that it has disaster kits for 30,000 people on stand-by.

For its part, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has sent additional staff to Sittwe in the past two days. It is also looking to increase its preparedness in other parts of the country, such as Chin State, Mandalay region and Kachin, where strong winds and heavy rainfall may further worsen the situation of vulnerable communities.

More than 140,000 individuals – mostly from the Rohingya Muslim minority – are currently displaced across Rakhine state and have been living in temporary shelters since violence erupted between the Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine state in June 2012. Around half are located in low-lying areas prone to flooding.

According to information released by the US military, cyclone “Mahasen” is expected to reach the area by late Wednesday or early Thursday morning.

“The government has been repeatedly warned to make appropriate arrangements for those displaced in Rakhine state. Now thousands of lives are at stake unless targeted action is taken immediately to assist those most at risk,” said Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia Pacific Director.

Authorities in Myanmar are said to have taken some measures, including identifying evacuation sites and broadcasting announcements in and around the coastal town of Sittwe to warn residents of the impending storm.

However, several of the identified evacuation sites are within already established camps for internally displaced persons or fail to have adequate storm-ready structures, and storm warnings have not been provided to all at-risk displaced communities outside of Rakhine state’s capital city, Sittwe.

The authorities also continue to impose restrictions on freedom of movement for Rohingya in Rakhine state, including those who are confined to ill-equipped camps.

“The government must facilitate assistance without discrimination, including by lifting any restrictions on movement and ensuring humanitarian groups have access to all individuals in need. The freedom for Rohingya to seek higher ground may be their only chance to avoid potential flooding from heavy rains,” said Arradon.

The Rohingya have faced discrimination for decades in Myanmar. They are not recognized as an official ethnic group and continue to be denied equal access to citizenship rights. Their rights to study, work, travel, marry, practise their religion, and receive health services are restricted to various degrees.

Since the violence last June, Buddhist and Muslim communities have been living largely segregated from each other and tensions remain high.

“Considering continuing tensions between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine, the authorities need to prepare for the possibility of violence during an evacuation situation or in the aftermath of a storm. Addressing the discrimination of the Rohingya community and taking urgent steps towards accountability for last year’s violence will be crucial to prevent future abuses,” said Arradon.

State security forces carried out human rights violations during last year’s violence in Rakhine state and failed to protect people from attacks, including Rohingya.