US provides $250,000 to Rohingya, locals in Bangladesh affected by Cyclone Mocha

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - The US is providing $250,000 to assist emergency relief efforts for Rohingya refugees and locals in the areas of Bangladesh most affected by Cyclone Mocha, the American embassy in Dhaka said Wednesday.

“The people of the United States stand with the people of Bangladesh and the Rohingya refugees affected by the cyclone,” the statement quoted US Ambassador Peter Haas as saying.

Cyclone Mocha moved through the Bay of Bengal, making landfall in Myanmar and Bangladesh and affecting over half a million people living in coastal areas of southeastern Bangladesh and nearly one million Rohingya in refugee camps, said the statement.

The South Asian nation is currently hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya Muslims in 33 camps in the country’s southeastern border district of Cox’s Bazar, making it the world’s largest refugee camp.

Most of them fled a brutal military crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar’s Rakhine State in August 2017.

Cyclone Mocha was one of the strongest in recent years, causing significant tidal surges, heavy rain and wind speeds of up to 140 kilometers (87 miles) per hour in Bangladesh, resulting in widespread wind damage, flooding and landslides, the statement noted.

Referring to the climate vulnerability of Bangladesh, it added that the US has worked closely with the country to improve disaster preparedness and response over their past five decades of partnership.

“Through the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. government has built 900 multi-purpose disaster shelters in the most vulnerable areas of Bangladesh since 2001 and invested in early warning systems that keep hundreds of thousands of people safe from cyclones, flooding, and other emergencies,” the statement added. ​​​​​​​