Many houses were damaged by Cyclone Mocha in Sittwe township, Rakhine State, Myanmar on May 16. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – The Associationof Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has delivered the first batch of Disaster Emergency Logistics System forASEAN (DELSA) relief items worth 100,000 USD to support people affected by CycloneMocha in Myanmar.
Cyclone Mocha on May 14 made landfall on theshores of Myanmar's Rakhine State, affecting several vulnerable communities, including those in Rakhine State, Chin State, Bago, Ayeyarwady,Sagaing and Magway regions. An initial assessment has shown severe damage toinfrastructure and public facilities. As of May 21, the cyclone has left at least 145 dead, 131 injured, and 912,000 people evacuated to safer places. The total costof damage is estimated at 2.7 million USD.
The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistanceon disaster management (AHA Centre) is preparing to deliver more relief itemsfrom the DELSA Regional Warehouse in Malaysia and Satellite Warehouse inThailand. The ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT) havealso been deployed to conduct a rapid needs assessment and to facilitate thedelivery of relief items.
Secretary-Generalof ASEAN Kao Kim Hourn has expressed his condolences to the affected communities and is closelymonitoring the situation. Pursuant to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Statement onthe Impact of Cyclone Mocha on Myanmar issued on May 15, the Secretary-General stands ready toserve as the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator (SG-AHAC) to providestrategic coordination and facilitate resource mobilisation.
ASEAN also calledfor additional contributions from ASEAN member states, its partners, andstakeholders including international humanitarian organisations to support itsefforts in alleviating the suffering of the people affected by the cyclone./.
