Electricity has been restored in some neighborhoods in Sittwe, Arakan State 11 days after power outages due to Cyclone Mocha, according to local people.

Many acres of perennial crops such as mango, betel nut, pomelo, jackfruit and banana trees in Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U Townships were destroyed by the devastating storm.

“They [the regime] told us to hand over the relief supplies to us. We are not allowed to deliver directly. It is not ok for us. Other NGOs and INGOs also have plans for relief operations. But, we are not allowed,”

A dismissed worker said a dispute arose after the employer cut their salaries.

Relief aid supplied by the international community for people affected by Cyclone Mocha has arrived in Arakan State, but residents of Sittwe, the state’s capital, have yet to receive supplies.

“We can’t buy roofs anywhere. Silos were also damaged by the storm, and we need food. I would like to urge well-wishers to help with the recovery of Matupi,”

Social activists said the township military council did not allow the plan of local charities in Kyaukphyu Township to gather together and collect donations in order to support storm victims in Arakan State.

Rural communities affected by Cyclone Mocha in Arakan State’s Pauktaw, Sittwe, Rathedaung, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U and Gwa townships have so far received little relief aid.

A DMG reporter saw broken and completely destroyed trees in Sittwe and Ponnagyun townships, and the Mayu mountain range in Rathedaung and Maungdaw townships, after the storm hit Arakan State.

Power outages are taking a heavy toll on local people and businesses affected by the cyclone.

Not enough aid has arrived in Sittwe and Rathedaung townships, which suffered the most damage, more than a week after the storm hit Arakan State, according to residents.

Internally displaced people (IDPs) whose houses were destroyed by Cyclone Mocha in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township urgently need relief supplies and healthcare services.

Lakes and other reservoirs in the villages were flooded with saltwater, and the storm victims say they urgently need clean drinking water and healthcare services.

More than 70,000 acres of sesame fields were ruined by flooding triggered by Cyclone Mocha in Magway Region, with financial losses totaling around 18 billion kyats, according to local sesame growers.  

Ayeyarwady Bank, one of the largest private banks in Myanmar, is providing loans to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) affected by Cyclone Mocha, which made landfall with destructive force near the Arakan State capital Sittwe on May 14.

“Farmers have lost everything and can’t farm without paddy seeds. I don’t know what the farmers will do in the coming rainy season,”

The state military council said that a water purifier is capable of purifying natural water drawn from sources like Sittwe’s Sat Yoe Kya Creek, purifying 15-20 litres an hour and providing enough for 100 people per day.

A man was killed after a water tanker truck heading to Pi Pin Yin camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U Township overturned on Monday evening, according to IDPs.

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.