The Mon State government is cooperating with the public and taking action to recover from the tornado damage that hit Mawlamyine late in the evening of September 2, according to the Mon State Chief Minister Dr. Aye Zan.
In the evening of September 3rd a ceremony was held at Sein Kayin monastery located in Shwe Myine Thiri quarter, Mawlamyine to acknowledge donations to residents affected by the tornado.
Dr. Aye Zan said, “We [the government] and [the] people will work together towards the recovery. The storm occurred during the night, and we [are] collecting construction data during the day. We are going to restore the situation to its normal stage within three to four days.”
Ko Nay Myo from the Ramonya Emergency Rescue Organization added “When the storm occurred last night, we cleaned the falling trees off the street and houses then took a short break at 4 a.m. The cleaning process is still ongoing now.”
In order to repair schools impacted by the tornado as soon as possible, Dr Aye Zan noted that 226 million Kyats has been allocated for restoration efforts in the Shwe Myine Thiri quarter in Mawlamyine along with further supports to the remaining storm-affected quarters and townships, he added.
The tornado caused damage to more than 570 houses in Mawlamyine, 30 houses in Ye Township and 11 houses in Paung Township along with seven schools in Mawlamyine, according to the state Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement Department.
Several social media pages have posted photos of other affected townships but no official statements addressing the scale of the damage has been released at the time of publication.
The quarters, Shwe Kyine Thiri, Kyaik Pha-nea, Hlaing, Ouak Kyin, Nyaung Bin Sate, Zayar Thiri, and Phat Tanin located in Mawlamyine experienced severe damage including fallen trees and leaves, collapsed homes and extensive roof damage to many schools and houses, downed lamp posts, as well as sustained power outages.
A resident from the Shwe Kyine Thiri quarter, Ko Thar Ngae remarked that we are used to flooding, but this was the first time residents faced such heavy winds.
“If in case you have [not heard how a] tornado sounds, it is exactly like the sound of a landing airplane. It was uproarious. The electricity went off, and it was terrifying!” said Ko Thar Ngae.
Storm compensation payments are following government guidelines. “The complete collapse [of] concrete houses and [those with] tin-roof get 200,000 Kyats while the collapse [of] thatch-roof houses [will] receive 100,000 Kyats,” said U Thaung Shwe, Director of Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement Department.
Financial aid from 50,000 Kyats to 100,000 Kyats will be available to those with houses that have partially collapsed and those with roof damage. he added.
Persistent heavy rainfall and strong winds have caused, floods, collapsed bridges, and major landslides have occurred throughout Mon State. Much of the paddy fields remain inundated, and many communities struggle with on-going impacts from one of the regions worst natural disasters in recent years.
