() — Cyclone Mocha hit the coast between Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) and the municipality of Kyaukpyu (Myanmar) on Sunday, becoming one of the strongest recorded in the country, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Myanmar.
Torrential rains, storm surges and strong winds were reported throughout Sunday in all affected areas, with flooding in low-lying Rakhine areas, particularly in and around Sittwe, the state capital, according to an OCHA update on Myanmar on Sunday.
Extremely strong winds downed power lines, uprooted trees and damaged and destroyed houses, OCHA in Myanmar said. Communications with affected areas are limited after severe damage to telecommunication towers, according to OCHA.
Thousands of people sheltered in evacuation centers and in the homes of relatives inland on the coast on Sunday, OCHA in Myanmar said, adding that at least some of these evacuation centers were damaged by strong winds at the peak of the cyclone. .
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) affirms that the organization’s preparations for the arrival of Cyclone Mocha managed to “contain this damage with minimal losses” and that it had been a “close disaster”.
Speaking to , Hasina Rahman, director of the IRC in Bangladesh, added that they caused “excessive damage” to the “temporary” “tarp and bamboo” shelters.
