Myanmar (Burma) Cyclone

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KEY FACTS

It is thought that between one and two million people have been affected by Cyclone Nargis.

The area most affected by the cyclone is the ‘rice bowl’ of Burma, and the cyclone hit just before the harvest, severely impacting on the future livelihoods of the worst affected survivors.

Through our local partners, WJR is helping to reach almost 200,000 cyclone survivors.

A devastating cyclone hit Myanmar (Burma) on Saturday 3rd May. Winds as fast as 190km an hour ripped through the Irrawaddy Delta, tearing roofs off houses, uprooting trees and destroying power lines. People clung to trees as waves, caused by the cyclone, smashed through their towns and villages. It is thought that between one and two million people have been affected by Cyclone Nargis. Many will have lost everything, including family members. The death toll, due to extreme winds and the accompanying tidal wave, is now estimated at around 78,000, with around 56,000 still missing.

The area most affected by the cyclone is the ‘rice bowl’ of Burma, and the cyclone hit just before the harvest, severely impacting on the future livelihoods of the worst affected survivors. Thousands are sheltering together in monasteries, schools and temples, leading to serious concerns over sanitation and health.

In order to side track known problems with visa issuing to aid workers, WJR is working only with trusted local partners already in the country. This means that WJR was able to mobilise its relief effort almost immediately. It also means that where large agencies have had to apply for permissions to ship in supplies, WJR’s partners were purchasing goods locally and distributing immediately to those most in need.

WJR’s immediate provision of emergency assistance included plastic sheeting for temporary shelter and relief kits containing re-hydration salts, medicines, water purification tablets and rice.

As well as our immediate provision, WJR is in continuing discussions with our partner agencies to establish how to provide further vital help to those most affected by the cyclone. However, unlike previous disaster situations, we are still very much focussing on emergency relief rather than reconstruction.

Thousands are now living in temporary camps where WJR's partners are distributing aid. Others, however, have yet to be reached and remain at risk. WJR's partners, along with other agencies, are doing their best to get aid to these people. Fields and paddies remain either under water or devastated by salt water, making replanting an impossible task. However, if the crop is not replanted by June, there will be little chance of a further harvest this year, which will add to the problems in the region.