Cyclone Mocha leaves thousands homeless in Mrauk-U Twsp

By Admin 22 May 2023

DMG Newsroom
22 May 2023, Mrauk-U

Nearly 700 houses at the Tin Nyo displacement camp in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U Township were completely destroyed by Cyclone Mocha, which hit Arakan State on May 14.

The camp sheltered 2,862 internally displaced people (IDPs) from 773 households, and 685 of the homes were completely destroyed by the cyclone. The homeless are now staying at the remaining houses, at the local monastery, a school and hospital in Tin Nyo Village, and the homes of their relatives, Tin Nyo displacement camp manager U Soe Naing told DMG.

“The houses were shabby, and all were destroyed by the storm. Everyone is having a hard time now. It is not OK to have to feed over 2,000 people. So, the displaced people here have to share food donated by donors. The displaced people have to make do with what we have,” he said.

Cyclone victims are in need of food supplies, drinking water and medicines, and the homeless also urgently need tarpaulin sheets, bamboo, and nipa palm to assemble temporary shelters.

“The houses destroyed were just huts made out of bamboo and nipa palm. Even then, we can’t afford to rebuild them now. We are homeless and starving,” said IDP U Hla Maung Thein.

In the aftermath of the cyclone, some donors have donated instant noodles and coffee for residents of the Tin Nyo displacement camp. The World Food Programme (WFP) also provided 17,000 kyats per person on May 20, according to IDPs.

IDPs were already struggling to make ends meet, and the storm that destroyed almost the entire camp came as another blow to its inhabitants, said Daw Hla Khin, a resident of Paletwa Township’s Namada Village, who has been sheltering at the Tin Nyo displacement camp since she was displaced.

“We have no homes in our village, and we also have no homes here in this camp. We have to stay at the monastery, and we can’t afford to build a new house. We are waiting for donors,” she said.

Displaced by past fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA), locals from some 13 villages in Mrauk-U Township have been living at the Tin Nyo displacement camp since 2019.

Many homes inside displacement camps and houses outside their confines were destroyed by Cyclone Mocha across Sittwe, Rathedaung, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U and Buthidaung townships.

The prices of building materials including timber, bamboo, nipa palm and tarpaulin sheets have shot up in the aftermath of the cyclone, and many affected people are still waiting for assistance from authorities and humanitarian organisations to rebuild their houses.