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Rohingya struggle in Myanmar camps devastated by cyclone

Rohingya living in camps in the Sittwe, Myanmar, area continued to struggle Thursday amid the widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Mocha over the weekend.

“Urgent needs include shelter, clean water, food assistance and health care services,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance said in a flash update Wednesday. “There are rising concerns in flooded areas about the spread of waterborne disease.”

About 130,000 Rohingya have lived for more than a decade in camps for internally displaced persons in the area. During the storm, the sea level suddenly rose nearly 10 meters (30 feet) and almost all the huts in one camp were washed away, said Nay San Lwin, co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition.

According to the Health Cluster, an arm of the World Health Organization, mobile clinics have begun operating in some of the affected Myanmar townships, and rapid response teams have been deployed to some of the camps, including Dar Paing.