"There are grave concerns about the condition of around one million people living in Myanmar’s Rakhine state where the powerful cyclone Mocha made landfall today, Islamic Relief’s head of programmes for Myanmar and Bangladesh has said. This includes around 150,000 Rohingya refugees living in camps in the Sittwe and Pauktaw townships of Myanmar, and over 600,000 Rohingya, alongside Rakhine people living in the countryside of Rakhine state. The centre of the cyclone made landfall on coast of Myanmar’s Rakhine state near Sittwe township with wind speeds up to 209 kilometres per hour. The full extent of the damage in the country is still unclear but there are concerns the destruction in the nearby camps and rural areas will be severe. Heavy rain and strong winds have already brought localised flooding across Rakhine, with communities fleeing to higher ground to try and find safety. Houses have been impacted, trees have been felled, power lines have gone down and the main mobile tower in Sittwe collapsed. Islamic Relief believes the damage in the countryside could be worse than in the towns because the people tend to be poorer and live in buildings which are more vulnerable. The state of Rakhine where the cyclone hit most severely is a conflict zone and already has around 6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance living within its borders. Sharif Ahmed, Islamic Relief head of programmes for Myanmar and Bangladesh, said, “The needs in Myanmar are huge. Rakhine was already a poverty hit state before the powerful cyclone Mocha hit. The impact of this cyclone will be very high in Myanmar’s Rakhine state because of the existing conflict and the extremely poor socio economic condition of the people in Rakhine state. Poverty is very high and is the primary reason this storm will have such a destructive impact on these people and their lives.” Islamic Relief is preparing to respond through local partners in Myanmar with food supplies and temporary shelter for those who need help and is planning efforts to clear the damage in refugee camps near Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. The cyclone struck Bangladesh less severely than expected with the world’s largest refugee camp which is near Cox’s Bazar in the south east of the country not as badly hit as expected. But there’s still danger rains from the storm could destabilise the mud foundations of the buildings in those camps..."