Acting Head of the Data, Information, and Disaster Communication Center of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Abdul Muhari, stated that the ASEAN-ERAT was coordinated by the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) comprising 14 government agency personnel, including BNPB, as the representative of Indonesia, and several other ASEAN countries.
"This activity is still centered in Rakhine Province," he noted in a written statement received here, Thursday.
According to Muhari, the assessment activities took place on May 22-25, 2023, with the target of evaluating several areas in Rakhine Province.
The areas targeted for assessment are recommendations from the Myanmar disaster mitigation agency or the Department of Disaster Management (DDM).
The ASEAN-ERAT was divided into two teams to cover four regions or townships in Rakhine Province. This sub-district-level area includes Kyauktaw, Ratheudang, Ponnagyun, and Sittwe, he noted.
The assessment aims to assist local authorities in emergency handling for the Mocha tropical cyclone that made landfall in Rakhine Province on May 14.
"Through this assessment, we hope that the handling of emergencies by the Myanmar Government can be right on target and run effectively," he noted.
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Apart from the food sector, local authorities are also laying emphasis on the opening of schools on June 1, clearing up of building materials and trees, as well as repairing poles and electricity networks in their area, he stated.
The Mocha tropical cyclone that hit several areas of Myanmar had a major impact not only in terms of damaging infrastructure or buildings but also with regard to fatalities.
According to the AHA Center data released as of May 22, 2023, the death toll reached 145, while 131 people were injured and 234,147 houses were damaged.
Until now, emergency mitigation continues to be conducted by local authorities, such as in the Sittwe, Ponnagyun, and Kyaktauw areas.
"After the disaster, a number of residents who had evacuated, such as in Kyaktauw, have returned to their respective homes. Meanwhile, a number of other residents whose houses were damaged, particularly the roof, carried out repairs independently," he remarked.
The Myanmar government declared 17 townships in Rakhine Province and four others in Chin as areas affected by the Mocha tropical cyclone, with wind speeds of 200 km/hour.
Meanwhile, the AHA Center is an organization mandated in the Southeast Asian region to help its member countries that have been hit by disasters. Apart from Indonesia, the ASEAN-ERAT personnel, who conducted the assessment in Rakhine Province, came from other ASEAN countries, such as Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
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Translator: Devi Nindy Sari R, Resinta S
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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