Myanmar: Cyclone Mocha Situation Report No.5 (As of 16:00 15 June 2023)

This more comprehensive product now replaces the daily Flash Updates that were previously issued by OCHA Myanmar on Cyclone Mocha. This Sit Rep is produced by OCHA in collaboration with the seven operating humanitarian clusters and their sub-working groups in Myanmar. The humanitarian response section is not necessarily reflective of all humanitarian interventions undertaken on the ground but rather those voluntarily reported by partners.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The approval of the distribution and transportation plans for the Cyclone Mocha response in Rakhine and Chin remains pending. Significant conditions, imposed by the State Administration Council, remain in place for the replenishment of relief supplies from outside the country and some have not yet been approved.
• After humanitarian access was temporarily suspended in the cyclone-affected Rakhine state on 8 June, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) a.i released a statement on 12 June, urging the State Administration Council to urgently re-instate the initial approval that was granted and allow life-saving assistance to resume.
• Meanwhile, efforts are underway to engage with the de facto authorities at the Nay Pyi Taw and regional level to try and expand access to people in need. This included high-level engagement with Union ministers by the RC/HC ai and UN agencies in Sittwe.
• Despite the humanitarian access restrictions, aid organizations have been delivering vital assistance to cyclone-affected communities where they have authorizations and supplies. More than 144,000 affected people have received shelter and other essential relief items in Rakhine and other areas since the cyclone. However, only a fraction of damaged and destroyed shelters have reportedly been repaired, leaving thousands of people without a proper roof over their heads during the monsoon season and exposing them to overcrowding and lack of privacy in the few shelters that remain functional.
• Food assistance has reached almost 380,000 affected people in Rakhine alone.
• Nearly 12,500 people in Rakhine, the Northwest, and Kachin have received healthcare. Nutrition assistance has reached more than 7,000 children under 5 and more than 1,500 caregivers in 8 priority townships in Rakhine.
• Some 70 contaminated ponds in Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, and Sittwe townships were successfully de-watered.
• More than 300 child-friendly spaces were rebuilt in Rakhine and the Northwest, and more than 34,000 children and caregivers received psychosocial support and psychological first aid services.
• Continued financial support for the US$333 million Cyclone Mocha Flash Appeal is required to ensure timely procurement of vital supplies to address the needs of affected communities. According to the Financial Tracking Service, as of 16 June, only $21.7 million in additional funds has been received.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

One month on from Cyclone Mocha, the unexpected retraction of initial approval for cyclone distribution and transportation plans and the temporary suspension of existing travel authorizations (TAs) for humanitarian organizations in Rakhine by the de facto authorities, has impacted the humanitarian response across the state. This sudden decision has exacerbated the already dire living conditions of the cyclone-affected population as heavy rains and flooding from the monsoon season continue to impact areas already severely affected by the cyclone.

After humanitarian access was temporarily suspended in the cyclone-affected Rakhine state on 8 June, the RC/HC a.i released a statement on 12 June, urging the State Administration Council to urgently re-instate the initial approval that was granted and allow life-saving assistance to resume. The RC/HC a.i. and his delegation also met with the Union Ministers in Sittwe on 15 June and held extensive discussions on possible modalities of support to cyclone affected people in accordance with humanitarian principles, and about the importation of supplies into Myanmar. At the request of the de facto authorities, UN agencies in Sittwe also met with the relevant state officials and Union Ministers on 13 June. Engagement is expected to continue.

Despite the access limitations and the temporary suspension of regular activities for a week from 8 June, humanitarian organizations have reached an increasing number of people in need since the cyclone where they have authorizations and supplies. Shelter and relief items have been provided to more than 144,000 people in Rakhine and other areas, while food assistance has reached nearly 380,000 people in Rakhine alone. Healthcare services were provided to nearly 12,500 people in Rakhine, the Northwest, and Kachin, and nutrition assistance reached more than 7,000 children under 5 and more than 1,500 caregivers in 8 priority townships in Rakhine. Additionally, 70 contaminated ponds in Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, and Sittwe townships were successfully de-watered, and more than 300 child-friendly spaces (CFSs) were rebuilt in Rakhine and the Northwest. Psychosocial support (PSS) and psychological first aid (PFA) services were provided to more than 34,000 children and caregivers.

Humanitarian actors are hoping to continue to explore various avenues to scale-up their operations beyond their existing regular activities. Cyclone impacted communities have been calling for such a scale-up to supplement the ongoing efforts by the local authorities, private donors and civil society organizations. The centralization of decision making on TAs for the cyclone response, however, has now put that expansion on hold. Engagement at the Nay Pyi Taw and regional level will continue, with the aim to identify modalities for predictable and timely access to cyclone-affected areas in Rakhine and Chin to address the immediate and longer-term needs of the affected communities.

Scaled-up financial support is also urgently required to facilitate the timely procurement of vital supplies. According to the Financial Tracking Service (FTS), as of 16 June, US$21.7 million in additional funds has been received against the $333 million Cyclone Mocha Flash Appeal.