Concern in Myanmar over slow supplies needed for cyclone recovery

As residents of Myanmar’s Rakhine and Chin states worked Monday to repair the devastation caused by Cyclone Mocha last week, concerns are growing over whether urgent needs for shelter, food, clean water and medical assistance can be met before the beginning of the seasonal monsoon rains.

Mocha hit the coast of Bangladesh and Myanmar on May 14 with winds of up to 209 kilometers (130 miles) per hour.

Damage was worst around the coastal city of Sittwe, the capital of Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, but was severe even as the storm weakened into inland Chin state.

At least 148 people in Rakhine were killed by the storm, which triggered flash floods and power outages, ripped roofs off buildings and collapsed cell phone towers.

Myanmar state media said more than 186,000 buildings were damaged by the cyclone.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Sunday it was still in talks with officials in the national capital, Naypyitaw, to approve a plan to provide humanitarian aid to storm-hit areas in the two states.

He said some aid partners who already have access are prioritizing the distribution of food and critical relief items where they can.

Myanmar’s Meteorological Department said on Sunday that it expected the monsoon to enter the southern part of the country in the next two days.

The monsoon usually brings constant rain for long periods of time to the Bay of Bengal coast and the lower part of the country between June and September.

Wai Hun Aung, a writer who leads relief work in seven townships in northern Rakhine, said there had been a shortage of materials to rebuild houses, including metal roofing, tarpaulins and nails, and many people were worried that they would not have shelter. suitable when the monsoon arrives.

The monsoon is approaching and the villagers need help, especially with shelter. We also urgently need food, clean water and medicine. We saw UNOCHA members making a list of victims in some municipalities but we still don’t see humanitarian aid from international organizations. The amount of aid from the authorities is not enough, Wai Hun Aung said Monday.

Although the Myanmar army and air force have started delivering rice and other assistance, it has not yet reached remote areas, he said.

Wannisara, a Buddhist monk in Rathedaung, a township in northern Sittwe, said little help has arrived in his area and residents are in dire need of shelter and clean water.

“We don’t even have tarps to make shelters. The villagers have to draw their water from the mountains, far from their villages,” he said.

Those who lost their homes due to the storm now live with anxiety in monasteries and other places.

Theinn Shwe, a teacher at an education center for the Rohingya Muslim minority who lives in displacement camps on the outskirts of Sittwe that were hit by storm surge, said Monday that some people had received rice, pots and pans from trucks over the weekend. week, but not him. know who supplied the relief items and were more needed.

Salai Mang Hre Lian, program manager of the Chin Human Rights Organization, said on Monday that more than 1,700 buildings, including churches and schools in 128 villages in Chin state, were damaged.

Chin state is deeply involved in the armed struggle against the military government that began when the army seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Fighting occurs across much of the country, but is especially fierce in Chin State.