Tropical Cyclone Mocha - May 2023

A new tropical cyclone named MOCHA formed over the southern Bay of Bengal on 11 May and started moving north-east toward western Myanmar. On 11 May at 0.00 UTC its centre was located over the sea approximately 460 km west of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India), with maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h (tropical storm). (ECHO, 11 May 2023)

After the local authorities issued evacuation advice for low-lying and coastal areas in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Myebon, Pauktaw, and Sittwe townships in Rakhine, more than 100,000 people, including some displaced people, moved to designated evacuation shelters by 13 May. Many others have moved to stay with relatives on higher ground. In the Northwest, as of 13 May several buildings, including monasteries, schools, and religious sites were designated as evacuation centers by local authorities in light of the expected impact in Chin, Magway and Sagaing. (OCHA, 13 May 2023)

Extremely Severe Cyclone Mocha crossed the coast between Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and Kyaukpyu township in Myanmar at lunchtime on 14 May (local time) packing winds estimated at around 250 kmph, making it one of the strongest cyclones on record in the country. [...] The UN and its humanitarian partners have spent the week preparing for the cyclone’s arrival and have been pre-positioning stocks and personnel ready to assess and respond to needs as soon as it is safe to do so. (OCHA, 14 May 2023)

Tropical Cyclone MOCHA made landfall in Myanmar close to Sittwe City (Rakhine State, bordering with south-eastern Bangladesh) on 14 May in the morning (UTC) with maximum sustained winds up to 250 km/h. In Myanmar, five fatalities, over 700 injured people, over 100,000 evacuated people, severe damage to Rohingya Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and houses were reported across Sittwe area and western Rakhine. In Bangladesh, according to National Disaster Response Coordination Centre, a total of 414,170 people and 23,027 livestock were evacuated in 7,040 shelters in 14 coastal districts. Significant damage to thousands of refugee shelters and key facilities in camps and host communities in Cox’s Bazar district are reported but no loss of lives. In India, the authorities report 595 evacuated people and 2,995 affected people across Mizoram. (ECHO, 15 May 2023)

In Myanmar, across Rakhine, Chin, Magway, Sagaing, Kachin states and south-eastern Bangladesh (Chattogram Division), DG ECHO and UN OCHA reported 41 fatalities, around 700 injured people, and approximately 100,000 evacuated. The worst affected is western Rakhine, which includes several Rohingya Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps, which have been significantly damaged. Approximately 50 destroyed houses were reported across Sagaing. Severe flooding has affected more than 100,000 people in villages in Magway and Sagaing. (ECHO, 17 May 2023)

Bangladesh: The initial damage information shows that a total of 4 districts, 26 upazilas (sub-districts), 99 unions, and 429,337 Bangladeshi nationals were affected by Cyclone Mocha. The damage to houses included 2,052 fully damaged and 10,692 partially damaged. There has been no case of casualties but a number of people from affected areas have been reported to be injured. Saint Martin is one of the union of Teknaf upazilla and a remote island of Bangladesh which have been directly impacted by Cyclone Mocha. According to information from Saint Martin UP Chairman, 700 houses were fully damaged, 250 houses partially damaged, 3500 trees uprooted, 100 stores/shops damaged. [...] Currently, approximately 1,000 households are still in cyclone shelters with limited access to cooking and sanitation facilities. (Start Network, 18 May 2023)

Myanmar: One week after Cyclone Mocha, a clearer picture is emerging of the depth of destruction as humanitarians work to expand assistance across affected areas. Sittwe and Rathedaung are the hardest hit areas in Rakhine. Shelter damage there is significant across all communities. Destruction of public infrastructure, as well as disruptions to water systems, continue to limit access to clean drinking water in Rakhine, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases especially among the affected population. [...] The cyclone has led to an increase in the number of unaccompanied children in Rakhine, highlighting the urgent need for child protection and appropriate support services. (OCHA, 21 May 2023)

A rapid analysis of contamination and incident data from Cyclone Mocha’s worst-hit areas in Myanmar has found that 60 per cent of the landmine incidents reported in the first quarter of 2023 were in areas that have now been affected by the cyclone. Of these, 90 per cent are reported from the highest impact area (red zone), where winds exceeding 120kmph were recorded. Nearly half of the villages that have reported contamination with high confidence (evidence of landmines reported) are located within this red zone. Moreover, nearly half of the villages that have reported contamination with lower confidence (suspicion of landmine contamination) are also in the red zone. (OCHA, 23 May 2023)

An estimated 7.9 million people experienced winds in excess of 90km/h, with 3.4 million facing destructive winds over 120 km/h. The strength of shelters and pre-existing vulnerabilities are emerging as the key determining factors in the severity of impact and needs. In Rakhine, barely a home has escaped damage in the state capital Sittwe and in Rathedaung where the impact of the cyclone was strongest. An estimated 85 per cent of the shelters in IDP camps and sites are thought to have been destroyed. Many of those most severely affected are now living in temporary sites, in monasteries or in the open. A massive debris clearance and rebuilding effort has been underway across the impact zone since the cyclone with local authorities working to gradually reconnect telecommunications and electricity services particularly in the state capital Sittwe. Schools have been heavily affected, and efforts are underway to have learning facilities available for the start of the school term in June. Health facilities have also been badly damaged. In the Northwest, severe flooding affected more than 120,000 people across Chin, Sagaing, and Magway, with an estimated 150 villages and wards across 20 townships impacted. Infrastructure has been damaged and destroyed while floods have washed away animals, crops and personal belongings. Over 300 community learning centers were partially or totally damaged, with roofs ripped off and walls broken. (OCHA, 25 May 2023)

A $333m Flash Appeal has been launched to support 1.6 million people in Rakhine, the Northwest, and parts of Kachin. While approval is still pending for the widescale transport of supplies and distributions, humanitarian partners have been providing shelter, water, sanitation, health and emergency food support wherever they have existing stocks and access. In Rakhine alone, the World Food Programme has reached more than 107,000 people with food support. Additionally, 7,700 households have received shelter materials and other essential relief items, while more than 30,000 liters of drinking water have been distributed. In the Northwest, affected people have been provided with cash assistance for shelter repairs, and more than 4,500 people have received hygiene kits, among other responses. (OCHA, 29 May 2023) [...] Approximately 80 per cent of schools and educational infrastructure reportedly sustained damage ahead of the start of the new school term. (OCHA, 31 May 2023)

The monsoon season has arrived in Myanmar, further worsening the living situation facing people whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Cyclone Mocha. Heavy rains and some flooding were observed in areas that were already heavily impacted, further hampering the recovery process for people whose coping capacities are already stretched to the limit. Against this backdrop, access restrictions have escalated. Existing TAs that had been facilitating assistance delivery in Rakhine have been suspended pending centralized discussions in Nay Pyi Taw through the Disaster Management Committee. Using these existing approvals, humanitarians had been reaching a growing number of people in need. More than 113,200 people in the affected areas have received shelter and other relief items, while food assistance has reached more than 293,800 people in Rakhine alone. [...] Humanitarians had been hoping to scale-up their operations in the coming weeks, but this centralized decision on TAs now puts that on hold. Initial approval for humanitarian distribution and transport plans across 11 townships have also been rescinded pending additional deliberations in Nay Pyi Taw. Similar plans for Chin are also not yet approved. (OCHA, 8 Jun 2023)

One month after Cyclone Mocha hit Myanmar’s coastal area on 14 May, the de facto authorities have suspended humanitarian access in Rakhine, stopping life-saving aid distributions to affected communities. Humanitarians have reached almost 300,000 people with food in Rakhine alone and more than 110,000 people with shelter support and relief items. Additionally, nearly 12,500 affected people in Rakhine state, the Northwest region and Kachin state received healthcare services. However, needs are enormous especially with the monsoon season well underway with many people left homeless by the cyclone and water systems severely damaged. [...] Generous funding is also vital with only US$10.3m received against a US$333 million Flash Appeal that aims to reach 1.6 million cyclone-affected people in the affected areas. (OCHA, 12 Jun 2023)

The approval of the distribution and transportation plans for the Cyclone Mocha response in Rakhine and Chin remains pending. Significant conditions, imposed by the State Administration Council, remain in place for the replenishment of relief supplies from outside the country and some have not yet been approved. [...] Meanwhile, efforts are underway to engage with the de facto authorities at the Nay Pyi Taw and regional level to try and expand access to people in need. This included high-level engagement with Union ministers by the RC/HC ai and UN agencies in Sittwe. Despite the humanitarian access restrictions, aid organizations have been delivering vital assistance to cyclone-affected communities where they have authorizations and supplies. More than 144,000 affected people have received shelter and other essential relief items in Rakhine and other areas since the cyclone. However, only a fraction of damaged and destroyed shelters have reportedly been repaired, leaving thousands of people without a proper roof over their heads during the monsoon season and exposing them to overcrowding and lack of privacy in the few shelters that remain functional. (OCHA, 19 Jun 2023)

As schools reopen amid the devastation caused by Cyclone Mocha, more than 300,000 learners require educational support, and an estimated 1,246 schools are heavily damaged across Rakhine and the Northwest. [...] Travel authorization issues pose challenges to the operations of Cluster partners, severely delaying the delivery of response activities. In Kyauktaw township, the need for partners to actively provide education services during emergencies hampers education delivery in critical situations. Cyclone-affected areas across the country are struggling with debris that has yet to be cleared, slowing down the repair and reopening of schools. The persistent aerial attacks on schools have exacerbated the humanitarian situation for learners. These attacks not only endanger the lives and well-being of students but also threatens the stability of the education system. (UNICEF, 3 Jul 2023)

In Rakhine, three months following Cyclone Mocha, decision making for the cyclone response continued to be centralized in Nay Pyi Taw which has significantly delayed disaster response. [...] Shelter assistance remains a primary concern with more than 72,000 Rohingya and Kaman IDPs in camps being in need of shelter reconstruction, 10,000 Rohingya and Kaman IDPs living in makeshift shelters being in need of shelter assistance, and more than 55,000 Rakhine IDPs being in need of shelter assistance. (OCHA, 8 Sep 2023)

As of 17 November 2023, Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) has reached 290,003 people from 58,000 households in relief assistance, including, shelter, livelihood, health and hygiene items, and multi-purpose cash assistance. [...] The situation in Rakhine took a downturn in early November 2023, marked by clashes between armed forces in the state. [...] Since 13 November 2023, humanitarian access has been mostly limited. [...] The supply chain in the country is fluctuating due to price hikes and goods availability in the market for local procurement. This situation creates uncertainty in providing essential household item assistance to targeted communities. (OCHA, 26 Dec 2023)