At around 1:30 pm, the extremely severe Cyclone Mocha made landfall in Sittwe, Rakhine, damaging many roofs, knocking down trees and powerlines and toppling a telecommunications tower.
"The cyclone is currently hitting, we can see the plants and trees and the power posts were knocked down in front of us and roofs were also damaged," Sittwe resident Ko Wai Hin aung told Mizzima in the early afternoon.
Strong winds are said to have damaged the roofs of the Cyclone Evacuation Camp in Sittwe's highlands.
Some roads are blocked as a result of large trees having fallen. According to locals, social rescue teams are cleaning the roads.
"Undoubtedly, there will be damage. The wind is now more powerful than ever,” another resident said.
Similar to Sittwe, the townships of Kyauk Phyu, Man Aung, and Gwa were also affected by Cyclone Mocha's strong winds, which caused some house, and tree damage.
Mizzima has looked into the specifics of the Cyclone Mocha damage so far, including Sittwe, Kyauk Phyu, and Man Aung Townships.
According to the observations of Myanmar’s Department of Metrology and Hydrology on 12:30 pm, the Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm “MOCHA” over the East Central Bay of Bengal has moved North-Northeast and centered at about (135) Nautical miles South-Southwest of Sittwe, (145) Nautical miles West-Southwest of Kyaukpyu, (235) Nautical miles West-Northwest of Hainggyigyun and (180) Nautical miles South-Southwest of Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh).
The tributaries of the rivers may has risen up to 16 to 20 feet in Sittwe, Kyauk Phyu, and Maungdaw districts, when the storm surge hit Rakhine State.
According to the Department of Metrology and Hydrology, the cyclone may continue to move toward Chin State, Kachin State, Magway Region, and Sagaing Region.
Cyclone Mocha will affect villages in southern Chin State, including Mindat from 8 to 9 pm. The wind speed will be 100-150 Km/h up to 100 m/h and Cyclone Mocha will pass over the western and central townships of Sagaing between 10pm and midnight. Wind speeds of up to 70 mph are expected. Heavy rain can be expected. Landslides in the highlands of Naga could be possible, according to Win Naing, a weather observer.
On the Sittwe’s highlands, more than 4,000 people are taking shelter in strong structures like monasteries, pagodas and schools.
Local news outlets reported that at around 2 pm today some areas of Sittwe were flooded and there were still high winds.
Elsewhere, deaths were reported in Mandalay, Tachileik and Taung Gup in a 4:00 pm update of news.
A 20 years old man in Salu Village, Taung Gup Township, Rakhine, reportedly died after being crushed by a tree.
In Pyin Oo Lwin Township in Mandalay Division, a large tree fell on to a police corporal in front of Pyin Sar police station, killing him on the spot.
In Tachileik, a couple died when a retaining wall collapsed in their home at 3:00 am this morning.
