Myanmar, Bangladesh, India - Tropical cyclone MOCHA, update (GDACS, JTWC, MOEZALA, BMD, RMSC IMD, UN OCHA, NDMA, Charter, media) (ECHO Daily Flash of 15 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. On 15 May at 0.00 UTC its centre was located over southern Sagaing State (northern Myanmar) with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h before moving over northern Myanmar and dissipating.

Very heavy rainfall and strong winds have affected Rakhine, Chin, Magway and Mandalay (Myanmar), the Cox's Bazar area (Bangladesh) and Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur (India) since 13 May. Storm surge affected also coastal areas. Heavy rainfall is forecast over the next 24 hours.

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. Rapid needs assessments from humanitarian actors are ongoing.

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. Needs assessments are ongoing.

In India, the authorities report 595 evacuated people and 2 995 affected people across Mizoram. Copernicus Emergency Mapping (EMSR661) was activated for both Myanmar and Bangladesh on 11 May.