UNDP warns of aid shortage for 'immense' devastation in cyclone-hit Myanmar

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The UN Development Programme (UNDP) on Friday warned that the current response for Myanmar is "not enough" due to the devastation in the country caused by Cyclone Mocha.

Around 700,000 homes had been damaged throughout the country, Titon Mitra, the resident representative in Rakhine for the UNDP, told a UN briefing in Geneva where he virtually participated from Rahkine's capital Sittwe.

Mitra added that 80-90% of the buildings in Sittwe had been damaged as well.

The devastation from Cyclone Mocha was "truly immense," he said and warned: "The current response relative to the scale of need was not enough."

He stressed that recovery would take years and there are 1.6 million people who need assistance.

Cyclone Mocha ripped through the coast between Cox's Bazar and the Kyaukpyu township in Myanmar on May 14.

The natural disaster had "largely destroyed" temporary shelters for the displaced in Myanmar’s northern region, and more heavy rainfalls are expected to come, increasing the risk of floods and landslides due to monsoon season.