UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. for Myanmar Ramanathan Balakrishnan said access to affected people and increased funding would be critical.

 “We have done everything we can to prepare by pre-positioning personnel and available stocks across the affected area so that we are ready to respond as soon as the cyclone has passed. Access to affected people and increased funding will be critical to making this assistance possible over the critical days ahead,” said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. for Myanmar is Ramanathan Balakrishnan.

Early reports show major damage to buildings in multiple townships in Rakhine State, including roofs torn off homes, UNOCHA reported.

“Power lines and communication towers are down. The UN and its partners stand ready to provide needed humanitarian assistance once the cyclone passes, it said.

Since before the cyclone Mocha came, UN agencies had already announced that they were ready to help storm victims.

WFP is gearing up ahead of the arrival of Cyclone Mocha. Stockpile of food has been made enough for 400,000 people in Rakhine and neighboring areas for 1 month. WFP is also putting in place transport & telecom systems for the broader humanitarian community, WFP announced.

“We are preparing for the worst, while hoping for the best. Cyclone Mocha is heading to areas burdened by conflict, poverty, and weak community resilience. Many of the people most likely to be affected are already reliant on regular humanitarian assistance from WFP. They simply cannot afford another disaster,” said Sheela Matthew, WFP Myanmar Deputy Country Director.

 WFP is gearing up for a large-scale emergence response, putting in place contingency plans, and prepositioning food and relief supplies, vehicles, and emergency equipment.

In recent days, WFP announced that the cyclone Mocha might affect 17 million people in Chin and Shan states and Sagaing, Magway, Bago and Mandalay regions in addition to Rakine State.