US provides $250,000 to assist Cyclone Mocha relief efforts

The cyclone battered the coastal areas of Cox’s Bazar, crushing thousands of homes under trees it uprooted, and blew away Rohingya shanties

The United States has approved $250,000 to assist Cyclone Mocha emergency relief efforts in areas most severely affected by the storm. 

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

Cyclone Mocha crossed the Bangladesh and Myanmar coasts on May 14. In Bangladesh, the cyclone left a trail of destruction, battering the coastal areas of Cox’s Bazar, crushing thousands of homes under trees it uprooted and blowing away Rohingya shanties with a wind speed of up to 147 kph when it made landfall. 

Through the US Agency for International Development, the US 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 United States is also the largest contributor to Rohingya refugee relief efforts.