Mocha cyclone relief efforts by NUG and AA
Cyclone Mocha, which is developing in the Bay of Bengal, is expected to enter Myanmar from near Sittwe in Rakhine State as a very strong storm on May 14th with wind speed of over 100 miles per hour.
U Win Naing, a weather analyst, said that due to Cyclone Mocha, waves up to 7 feet high could hit the shore.
"Because it's coming in, it's not going to come in like a normal wave. It's a 7-foot-high body of waves. It's going to hit this beach at more than 100 miles per hour. Because of the speed of the water coming in, it's going to be very destructive. It's going to be within 100 to 60 miles of the center of the storm." In addition, he said, people may experience more damage caused by strong water than strong winds.
When the Mocha storm reaches inland from Rakhine State, its strength will gradually decrease. However, Chin State, Magway Region, Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region and Kachin State are likely to experience heavy rains and wind gusts between 60 and 70 miles per hour. He also said that people need to avoid landslides because they can cause damage and death.
National Unity Government (NUG) Humanitarian and Disaster Management Minister Dr. Win Myat Aye has called on international aid groups to help the people, ethnic armed groups. He said that he is working in connection with revolutionary organizations.
He also said that he is working with the Rakhine ethnic resistance forces for Rakhine State, where the current storm will hit. "There will be NUG's jurisdictional areas, corporate with local government organizations. The main direct entry is Rakhine State. There are ethnic revolutionary organizations in Rakhine State. Rakhine has those organizations and also social organizations. These organizations are social organizations of revolutionary organizations that stand on the side of the citizens. We have connected with these social organizations and coordinated with all of them.”
Minister Dr. Win Myat Aye said that he has also contacted international humanitarian organizations to help with the situations that will occur due to the storm.
"Terrorists are not able to rule the country after the coup. Therefore, there are people who are really suffering in the area that they cannot govern. Self-rules and ethnic revolutionary organizations are also going with self-rules. There are those who govern their own land. There are many NUG PDF-dominated management sites in this area. We need to really coordinate all of this and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches everyone fairly and impartially. There is a way to really reach effectively. We have discussed and coordinated these methods internationally."
It is reported that Rakhine Army AA is evacuating nearly 50,000 civilians in Rakhine State, which is expected to be directly affected by the storm.
AA spokesperson U Khaing Thukha said that the Arakan People's Government is doing everything it can to help people avoid the storm.
"As the People's Government of Arakan, we have prepared the best we can, based on our resources, for these relief teams and medical teams to take care of health."
Military council has cut off phone lines and Internet lines in Sagaing and in the areas such as Magway region and Chin State. It is said that refugees fleeing the war and the revolutionary forces in those areas could not be interested in the storm and were more worried that the military council would come and bomb it.
Among the townships that may be at risk of the storm, the phone lines have been cut off in Kanpetlet, Matupi and Mindut in Chin State. Spokesman for Mindat Township Public Administration, said that most of the locals did not even know that there was a storm.
At the moment, there is not much preparation for the storm in Mindut, and people do not even know the information about the storm. Usually, they are more worried about digging bomb pits and getting hit by heavy weapons. We, as Mindut Township People's Administration Group, have cut all the phone lines and internet lines. In addition, we have cut all the internet lines in nearby Magway, so we find it very difficult to get information. We also find it very difficult to disseminate the information we have received to the people."
“Even in Sagaing, which could be hit by a heavy attack, people could not evacuate to protect themselves from the storm and could only carry necessary medicine and personal items, " said Ko Thanmani, PDF leader from Monywa District Battalion No. 25.
"If we can prepare food, medicine, clothing, etc. I think we can only pack these small items. We can only pack that much ourselves. Like a small defense system for us. We can't do this right away. If the wind gets too strong, they would have to rebuild in this large field with only tin roofs and poles left over from the fire, so it could be a lot of trouble." He said.
The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology of the Military Council also warned people living near the coast to evacuate in time as the wind speed of the Mocha storm can reach nearly 130 mph.
Last May 2nd, 2008, due to the effects of storm Nargis, nearly 1.5 million people were killed and damaged in Myanmar. Meteorologists have warned that Cyclone Mocha , which will attack now, may be as strong as Cyclone Nargis.
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