Four days after Cyclone Mocha made landfall in Myanmar, aid groups are still awaiting approval from the junta to deliver much-needed supplies to survivors. The death toll is estimated to be over 450, and is expected to rise without swift aid. Survivors are facing food shortages, disease, a lack of clean water, and the threat of unexploded land mines. The junta has not publicly addressed its decision to block international aid groups from affected areas, and the military is reluctant to let outsiders into the area. Activists are worried about the risk from military land mines and unexploded bombs exposed by the storm. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has asked for unrestricted access to affected communities, and for the junta to relax travel authorization requirements and expedite customs clearances for commodities. Without swift aid, the number of deaths could climb, as was the case after Cyclone Nargis in 2008.
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