20/05/2023
๐๐ฒ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ โ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐งโ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฒ๐๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ซ
According to OCHA, communities in the area spent the day cleaning up and calculating the cost of the storm, which was categorised as Extremely Severe when it smashed into Myanmar's western states and regions on Sunday, with gusts of up to 250km/h - and continued to lash some areas the next day with heavy rain.
Before the storm made landfall north of Sittwe, authorities and humanitarian relief organisations planned a huge evacuation plan.
๐๐ข๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐ง๐๐๐
Humanitarian needs in Rakhine state and northwest Myanmar were already critical before the cyclone hit, with about six million people in need of humanitarian aid as a result of years of fighting and displacement, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people are currently living in makeshift shelters, with their movements restricted by the military regime, which classified Rakhine as a disaster zone in the aftermath of Mocha.
According to initial accounts, the worst of the cyclone missed the large Rohingya refugee camp complex of Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, which is home to approximately one million predominantly Rohingya refugees, the majority of whom fled persecution and violence in Rakhine in the summer of 2017.
๐๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฒ๐๐
However, news reports suggested that, while the situation was not as severe as expected, numerous Rohingya were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced in Myanmar.
According to OCHA, there was significant devastation throughout Sittwe, with few houses remaining standing. Many of the fragile bamboo longhouses in refugee camps were destroyed.
"Communications with teams on the ground are still limited, but early reports indicate that the damage is significant, particularly in Rakhine, and that needs across all communities will be high," according to the OCHA situation report issued on Monday.
"Extremely strong winds downed power lines, uprooted trees, and damaged or destroyed homes." Storm surge damaged bridges and flooded homes."
Health, relief, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene needs have already been identified, with the added deadly threat of landmines in conflict-affected rural regions, which have shifted due to flooding.
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐
Communications with partners on the ground were largely restored during the day, but remain limited as a result of substantial damage to telecommunications towers, according to OCHA.
Water and power services have been severely disrupted all day, with generators now serving as the primary source of power for the majority of people due to damaged lines.
Humanitarian partners are preparing to begin fast needs assessments in the field on Tuesday in order to ascertain the scale of the cyclone's damage and the immediate assistance that is required.
Early reports also indicate significant floods and needs in the northwest, which is also heavily conflict-affected.
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๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐
According to OCHA, an immediate infusion of cash to aid recovery is "desperately needed to facilitate a full-scale response to the cyclone's impact and subsequent flooding." The $764 million Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is currently just 10% financed.
Some IDPs remain in cyclone shelters near displacement camps, with reports of injuries and medical treatment needs. Those sleeping in temporary shelters, such as schools, need help.
Movement is difficult, and debris removal is underway. During the day, heavy traffic was observed due to a significant number of individuals returning to their Sittwe homes from inland places, as well as debris on the roads.
๐๐จ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐
According to news estimates, over 3,000 Rohingya shelters were damaged or destroyed during the passage of Mocha. The country's refugee commissioner claimed that 32 learning institutes and 29 mosques had been damaged.
At least 5,300 migrants were allegedly transferred to more secure sites in the refugee camps where 120 landslides were reported, while the Bangladeshi government estimated over 250,000 people needed food and shelter in the region overall by Sunday night.
Authorities in Bangladesh evacuated approximately 750,000 people in advance of the storm.
Arindam Basu
