US to provide an additional $17 million for restoring Mocha damages

The USA government announces that it will provide nearly $17 million in additional humanitarian assistance for helping to restore the damage caused by cyclone Mocha.

The US Embassy in Yangon announced on Wednesday that the US agency for international development (USAID) will provide the additional amount responding to humanitarian needs following the devastating impact of Mocha in Burma (Myanmar), where more than five million people got affected by the cyclonic storm.

The additional support will help addressing urgent humanitarian needs like emergency shelter, clean water & sanitation, and urgent relief.

This new assistance builds on the initial $200,000 in emergency funds provided immediately after the storm.

Meanwhile, the USAID partners in Burma have worked in the days leading up to the storm to preposition emergency food, stockpile critical shelter and relief supplies for displaced families, also provide support for medical and search & rescue teams, and bolster disaster response teams to support with assessments.

The US government is the leading donor of humanitarian assistance in Burma, providing more than $400 million to the trusted humanitarian providers in the southeast Asian country, since August 2017.

“We will continue to coordinate closely with our partners on the ground to provide vital assistance to the people affected by the devastating impacts on this storm in the days ahead,” sad an USAID official.

The United Kingdom also announced $ 2.5 million on 19 May to support the stormy areas.

On 14 May, the cyclone hit several Rakhine townships like  Sittwe, Ponna Kyunt, Rathedaung, Maungaw, Mrauk U, Pauk Taw and Kyauk Taw with a speed of 130 kmph.

According to a report released by the State military council, over one million people in Rakhine State were affected by the cyclone. But no relief has been supplied in affected areas by the military government till date.