Rakhine residents who are still unable to recover from the storm.
In the Rohingya and Rakhine villages near Sittwe city, the locals are still living in small tarpaulin-covered huts to this day. These are the scenes five months after the MOCHA cyclone hit last May 14.
Since the storm hit, residents said that they have been living with such difficulties because they have not received effective assistance from either the military council or international organizations until today.
In Baydar village, where nearly four hundred households and more than two thousand people live, even a quarter of the houses have not been repaired until now. "Not having a home is a problem. We left the house because of the storm and got nothing. If we have children, we will build this tent. We need a place to stay. It became difficult to eat and drink. Now, when it rains, there is no place to stay. We can't sleep if it rains at night. We’re sitting with the kids."
In Baydar village, the entire village was destroyed by the storm and nearly thirty villagers died. Daw Ma Tin Win, another Rohingya woman from Baydar village, said that it is still difficult to get drinking water because the artesian wells, which had been flooded with salt water from the storm surge, have not yet been repaired. "The whole family is gathered in one place. It’s very difficult to find food, places and also drinking water. The water is all salt water, and we can’t drink it. Before, we had fresh water. When the storm hits, there is no fresh water. It turned out to be completely salty."
They said that there are only three artesian wells for fresh water in the village, it’s not enough, so they are drinking water that is mixed with salt water. Therefore, both adults and young people in the village are also suffering from diarrhea. Since the storm hit the Baydar village, the students have not been able to study until now.
They said that at the end of the storm in Baydar village, the military council and organizations had provided some rice rations and some cash, but now they are no longer receiving any help. That is why it is difficult for them to recover. Similarly, the Arakan ethnic groups are still struggling to recover from the storm, which has been going on for more than five months.
In Sittwe Township, LanbayChaungpipe village was destroyed by the storm, and the fishing nets and boats were destroyed. Residents of LanbayChaungpipe village said that they are still struggling to recover because they have not received enough support.
The Arakan Army (AA) announced that due to Cyclone MOCHA, which hit Rakhine State on May 14, nearly 290,000 houses in more than 2,000 villages were destroyed and more than 15,000 people were affected. According to state-owned newspapers, the military council is making speedy efforts to restore the storm-affected region.
Residents say they are still struggling in their way to meet the needs of homes and livelihoods affected by the storm.
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