Cyclone Nargis Update

May 12, 2008

 

 

Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font.

 

Current Status

 

Tropical Cyclone Nargis struck southwestern Myanmar (Burma) around 16:00 Friday (May 2) local time, packing sustained winds of 120 mph (190 kph) causing widespread damage to buildings, infrastructure and swaths of farmland. Yangon (Rangoon), Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) Division, Bago (Pegu) Division, Kayin (Karen) state and Mon state have all been declared disaster zones. Twenty-four million of the country's 53 million people live in these five regions. Some 6 million live in Yangon alone. (AP, May 8). A majority of the 40 townships in Yangon and seven townships in Irrawaddy division remain on the government’s list of disaster zones. Many delta areas have not been reached since the cyclone struck. Water and power have been restored in some areas. (OCHA, May 9). Myanmar’s official death toll as of Monday (May 12) has climbed to 31,938, while 29,770 remain missing. (Reuters, May 12). The UN says the number of dead could range from 60,000 to 102,000. UN estimates 1.2-1.9 million people have been severely affected by the cyclone.

 

A UN Flash Appeal of US$187 launched May 9 covering the next six months is using 1.5 million people for its initial planning. More than US$77 million has been pledged by countries around the world in response to the UN Flash Appeal and in bilateral assistance. The UN says that to feed 750,000 people for three months as planned in the Flash Appeal, will require 55,000 MT of rice, of which only 50 percent can be procured in-country and will require government clearance for importation of rice. (UNOCHA, May 11)

 

International relief efforts continue to be hampered by the Myanmar government’s reluctance to allow international aid workers into the country. As of May 10, only two of the four members of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team had been allowed to enter the country, while the 3 other team members were still in Bangkok awaiting visas. The UNDAC team is strongly advising all international relief teams deploy only if they have pre-arrival visas. (OCHA, May 8). Several relief flights have been flown into Myanmar since last week. However, the Myanmar government took control of the relief goods temporarily. The UN continued its consultations with the government on issues of relief aid arriving into Myanmar. Relief aid distribution through government and in-country humanitarian actors is now reaching more people in the affected population (OCHA, May 10).

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon criticized Myanmar’s military junta for its “unacceptably slow response” to help cyclone victims. Ban said that it was up to the UN Security Council (UNSC) to decide whether or not to further pressure Myanmar into accepting more aid. Ban said the junta has not returned his calls and letters seeking greater cooperation with international relief efforts. (AP, May 12) “We are at a critical point. Unless more aid gets into the country very quickly, we face an outbreak of infectious diseases that could dwarf today’s crisis,” Ban said. (Reuters, May 12)

 

While aid has reached Yangon, only a portion of the relief was reaching the hard-hit delta region as logistics experts, relief workers and foreign aid were still being either kept out of the country or stranded in Yangon by the junta. “We think we need to be moving 375 tons of food a day down into the affected areas. We are doing less than 20 percent of that,” Reuters quoted WFP spokesperson Marcus Prior as saying. The UN said its top representative in-country had flown to the capital, Naypidaw, on Monday to hand over a list of 60 “critical” UN and relief agency staff. (AP, Reuters, May 12)

 

The UN Resident Coordinator has been liaising with the government. The Director General of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement conveyed the message that the government is facing challenges in the management of the volume of relief coming through Yangon International Airport. The government said it is now open to the UN distributing goods that arrive for their agencies. (OCHA, May 11)

 

For charter flights, the government unloads cargo to the warehouse at the airport, which is reportedly becoming full. OCHA says unofficially, staff of various organizations has been asked to remove cargo directly from the plane and take into their possession. All WFP cargo has been released to the WFP. For other UN agencies, goods will be unloaded by government staff to the warehouse where the agency should be able to access it, depending on their agreement with the government. (OCHA, May 11) The UN logistics group says more warehouse space is urgently needed to relieve pressure at the airport and more transportation is needed for distribution outside of Yangon. (OCHA, May 11)

 

In the first UN aid convoy to arrive in Myanmar by land, UNHCR was able to get two trucks with shelter material for 10,000 people across the Thai-Myanmar border to Yangon. (AP, May 12) Two planes carrying 56 tons of medical and other aid from European-based aid groups arrived in Yangon Monday (May 12). (AP, May 12)

 

The first US military aid flight landed in Yangon Monday. The US C-130 transport plane left Thailand’s Utapao base carrying 40 tons of relief supplies. Myanmar’s navy Commander-in-Chief Soe Thein and other Myanmar officials greeted the aircraft, which was accompanied by Admiral Timothy Keating, Commander of US Pacific Command and Henrietta Fore, the administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Fore told reporters she had gotten permission to fly in two more planes Tuesday (May 12) but there was no breakthrough on the issue of letting helicopters or boats ferry supplies into the Irrawaddy delta. Fore added that the US was increasing its aid from US$3.5 million to US$16.25 million. Delivery was broadcast on state television. (Reuters, May 12)

 

Keating said that the US navy would have three ships in international waters in 36 to 48 hours and had 4,000 marines and a large number of helicopters on standby in Thailand. “We’re limited only by the permission from the authorities in Burma,” Keating said. (Reuters, May 12)

 

With a sizable amount of the population affected combined with a lack of local response capacity, contaminated water, poor hygiene and warm weather conditions, major health threats are looming, especially water-borne diseases such malaria, dengue, cholera, diarrhea, dysentery. Health experts have warned that further delay in accessing the affected population with major humanitarian relief could turn into a major catastrophe. Food, water purification supplies and receptacles, sanitation facilities for temporary camps, shelter materials, fuel, and essential medicines and treatment are all critical needs. Some people are now migrating outwards from the most affected areas in search of basic necessities while others are stranded in areas of the delta without drinking water, food or shelter. Damaged infrastructure and communications, as well as flooding, pose challenges for relief efforts, which may be exacerbated by heavy rainfall that has been forecast over the next seven days. (OCHA, May 10). The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that recovery could be hindered by strong winds and rain this week. Occasional rain expected through Wednesday (May 14) while heavier rains expected Thursday (May 15) or Friday (May 16). Southwesterly winds may then hit low-lying areas affected by Nargis. (OCHA, May 11)

 

Despite all the devastation and misery facing the nation, the country’s military government carried out a constitutional referendum on Saturday (May 10) except in those areas declared disaster zones. (OCHA, May 10)

 

 

Impact

 

The official death toll has now climbed to 31,938, while 29,770 remain missing. However, both figures are expected to climb as aid workers gain access to remote areas. The majority of deaths, according to Myanmar's government, were caused by the 12-foot (3.5-meter) tidal wave (storm surge) that hit the coastline rather than by the storm itself. (IHT, May 6). Save the Children estimates as many as 50,000 may have died, while a US diplomat in Yangon expects the toll to exceed 100,000. About 24 million people out of Myanmar's 53-million population live in the five regions that have been declared disaster zones - Yangon city, Irrawaddy Division, Bago (Pegu) Division, Kayin (Karen) state and Mon state. Assessments now have been made in 38 townships, with response efforts ongoing in a further 28. (OCHA, May 10). Based on these assessments, the UN estimates that 1.2 to 1.9 million people have been affected by the cyclone, the number of deaths could range from 63,290 to 101,682, and 220,000 people are reported to be missing. (OCHA, May 9)

Several sources report that 95 percent of structures along the delta were destroyed. In the Irrawaddy town of Bogalay, about 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Yangon, an estimated 10,000 people died. According to the government, at least 57 ships sunk in the Irrawaddy River and dozens of smaller boats were also lost. The delta’s population is estimated at 6 million and about 1.8 million people live below 16.4 feet (5 meters) in elevation. (UNOCHA, May 6)

 

Electricity and communication lines were taken out in the storm and UNOCHA says it will be days before either are repaired. Landlines remain down, but some cell phones are functioning. (UNOCHA, May 6) Water and power have been restored in some areas. (OCHA, May 9)

 

Officials say an insufficient supply of potable water will be a major problem as very little running water is available in Yangon. Aid agencies fear the widespread destruction could yield epidemics of food- and water-borne diseases such as cholera and diarrhea, as well as hinder efforts to fight tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases that require frequent vaccination and medication. The WHO says damage to health facilities and loss or displacement of health care workers pose another major problem for access to health services. (WHO, May 6) The WHO said it has received reports of malaria outbreaks in the worst-affected areas. (AP, May 8)

 

The FAO reported May 7 that Nargis may have affected the 2007 secondary rice paddy crops, which are harvested between April and June, but the extent of damage is not clear without an assessment. The five affected states are primarily agricultural societies occupied by the rural poor. They produce 65 percent of the country’s rice, 20 percent of rubber plantations, 50 percent of poultry, 40 percent of pigs and 80 percent of fish aquaculture ponds and 26 percent of shrimp aquaculture ponds. There is a risk that rice stored by farmers might have been affected by flooding. (FAO, May 7) Before Nargis hit, Irrawaddy was an area that had around 30 percent chronic and 9 percent acute malnutrition, thus nutrition screening and monitoring is needed, UN says. (OCHA, May 11)

 

Background

 

Cyclone season in the Bay of Bengal typically runs from May through November. Nargis was the first cyclone to hit the Bay since category-4 Cyclone Sidr struck Bangladesh on November 15, killing nearly 3,400 people and devastating the southeastern coastline. In May 2004, the junta made a rare request for assistance after a cyclone hit Rakhine state, killing at least 140 people and displacing around 18,000 others. Some casualty estimates put the death toll for the 2004 storm at more than 1,000. It was reportedly the worst storm to hit Rakhine since 1968 and carried sustained winds up to 100 mph.

 

 

Country Profile

 

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has a population of about 53 million and has been ruled by a succession of military juntas since 1962. It is one of Asia's poorest nations. The current junta, ruling since 1988, has isolated the country from the outside world, making it difficult at times to extract information about events taking place in the country. The capital city, Naypyidaw, is located about 240 miles (390 km) north of Yangon.

 

Many Western nations have imposed sanctions on Myanmar in protest of its alleged human rights abuses and a crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy protests in September 2007 in which at least 31 people were killed. Myanmar receives far less foreign aid - about $US2.50 per capita - than regional neighbors Cambodia ($47) and Laos ($63) and below the $14 average for low-income nations. (Reuters)

 

 

Government Response

 

The Ministry of Social welfare, Relief and Resettlement has been designated in charge of national relief efforts. (OCHA, May 11) The Ministry’s Deputy Minister Brigadier-General Kyaw Myint said at least five helicopters were airlifting supplies to the disaster-hit regions, and plying between the Irrawaddy delta and Yangon. (Xinhua, May 9) The Deputy Foreign Minister is the designated officer for all relief assistance. (OCHA, May 11)

 

Ministry of Education completed its assessment of damage to primary schools: 3,000 schools are destroyed or damaged, affecting 500,000 children. (OCHA, May 11)

 

The government has less than 40 helicopters, most small or old and only around 15 transport planes, primarily small jets unable to carry hundreds of tons of supplies. (AP, May 12)

 

State media is reporting that four infantry divisions have been deployed to the affected areas, where seven helicopters, 60 fiberglass boats and 10 ships have been carrying out operations. (OCHA, May 9)

 

The Government has pledged approximately US$ 5 million for relief. (OCHA, May 9)

 

Helicopter relays of bilateral aid arriving at Yangon are being made to Pathein, and two large barges of aid have left Yangon for the most affected areas.

OCHA reports that it has been confirmed that the government’s approval for importation needs to be obtained prior to arrival of cargo. The Ministry of Revenue and Finance is the contact point. (OCHA, May 9)

 

Myanmar Health Ministry officials are working with WHO in-country staff to carry out health assessments and distribute health kits. (UN. May 8)

 

The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement is coordinating the response to the disaster. An Emergency Committee has been established, headed by the prime minister. The committee has declared Yangon, Irrawaddy Division, Bago (Pegu) Division, Kayin (Karen) state and Mon state all disaster zones. The committee has also mobilized military and police units for rescue, rehabilitation and clean-up operations in the Yangon area. Myanmar’s Information Management Unit (MIMU) has taken the lead in information management activities (UNOCHA, May 6)

 

 

National Response

 

The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement has agreed to deploy UN national staff in support of national emergency relief efforts, initially to four locations: Pathein, Labutta and Bogale and Yangon. The liaison officers will work closely with the national Disaster Management Teams and assist in coordination, planning and information sharing. These national UN liaison officers will be physically co-located in government facilities. They will also be briefed by UNDAC and the UN country coordination team on their terms of reference prior to deployment. (OCHA, May 10)

 

An International NGO Forum was held on May 10. It was highlighted that delivery of aid will most likely be facilitated through national NGOs, community based organizations (CBOs) and community leaders. In order to improve the capacities of national and local NGOs and CBOs, a resource center will be set up by international NGOs in Yangon with the aim of providing information, tools, training and technical assistance. Further details will be available in the course of the week. A forum with national and local NGOs is planned for May 14. (OCHA, May 10)

 

The Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS), working as an auxiliary to the national response, has been distributing emergency relief supplies to beneficiaries in Yangon and Irrawaddy Divisions through its established logistic system and network of local volunteers. MRCS currently has five operational assessment teams in Irrawaddy, Yangon and Bago Divisions, Mon and Kayin States. (OCHA, May 9)

 

 

International Response

 

United Nations

 

The UN Resident Coordinator (UNRC) has been liaising with representatives of the government and will meet with the Deputy Foreign Minister on Monday (May 12). (UNOCHA, May 11)

 

OCHA says two databases are being developed, one for overview of damages from MRCS and UNICEF assessments and another for medium term disaster count data from each village. (UNOCHA, May 11)

 

The UN Flash Appeal was launched May 9. In the Appeal, humanitarian organizations ask for US$187 million for emergency relief in Myanmar to support survivors for at least six months. During the launch, member states announced US$58.4 million in pledges for the Flash Appeal and bilateral aid to the Myanmar government. The USG pledged a funding window of US$20 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for the Flash Appeal. (OCHA, May 9)

 

The UN continues to consult closely with the Government about the need for international support, which is available across all key priority areas. The UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ms. Catherine Bragg, will arrive in the region. The UN and Myanmar’s regional partners continue consultations for issuance of visas for international humanitarian personnel. Very few visas have been forthcoming in recent days. (OCHA, May 9).

 

An UNDAC team is now present in Myanmar and is working with the office of the Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) for now to strengthen cluster coordination and information flow both inside Myanmar, and between the Humanitarian Country Team and the broader international community. An On-Site Operations Coordination Center (OSOCC) has been set up and the team is working closely with the Myanmar Information Management Unit. (OCHA, May 10) The UN on Thursday said that only two UNDAC team members were granted access to Myanmar, while the 3 other team members were still in Bangkok awaiting visas. UNDAC team is strongly advising all international relief teams deploy only if they have pre-arrival visas. (OCHA, May 8).

 

An OCHA chartered A300 plane with contributions from Norway and Ireland will leave from the UN Warehouse in Brindisi to arrive May 11 in Yangon. The plane carries 30 MT of water and sanitation, shelter, and NFI stocks which will be confined to the RC/HC in the interim for distribution by partners on the ground. (OCHA, May 10)

 

A United Nations Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) with assistance from an Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) developed a cluster system for the Myanmar relief effort on May 5: The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) leads the water/sanitation, education and protection clusters. The World Health Organization (WHO) leads the health cluster. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) heads the shelter cluster. The World Food Program (WFP) heads the logistics cluster. The UN Development Program (UNDP) heads the early recovery cluster. The telecommunications cluster has not yet been assigned a leader. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has offered to lead an agricultural cluster, but initially will assist food security efforts. (UN, May 8)

 

UNDP has established a relay system using road transportation of personnel and supplies into Irrawaddy Division, as communication networks are still seriously compromised. (OCHA, May 9)

UNICEF deployed five teams to assess damages in Yangon, Pathein (the capital of Irrawaddy Division) and Bago. UNICEF has water, school, nutrition and medical kits prepared for delivery. UNICEF has begun delivering relief supplies to the Irrawaddy Delta, including medicine, first-aid kits and oral rehydration tablets. (UNICEF, May 6) UNICEF and Save the Children are currently leading on education. (UN, May 8). (OCHA, May 9) UNICEF is carrying out needs assessments in water/sanitation with 16 NGOs. Immediate priorities have been assessing damages to schools and planning for education to resume on June 1. (UN, May 8) UNICEF also launched an appeal for an initial US$8.2 million. (DPA, May 8) UNICEF and ACF plan to carry out nutrition surveys in three townships in Irrawaddy division. (OCHA, May 9) UNICEF expressed concern over unaccompanied children and the protection of women and girls in crowded shelters. Members of the protection cluster have agreed to set up Child Friendly Spaces in selected villages. (OCHA, May 9) OCHA says there are growing reports of families being forcibly displaced to non-affected towns. UN says a decision must be made as to which cluster will take charge of the issue. (OCHA, May 11) UNICEF has 130 local workers and 17 foreigners. (IHT, May 12) UNICEF reported that as of May 7, inter-agency assessment teams visited 17 of 47 affected townships in Yangon, Irrawaddy and Bago Divisions in coordination with MRCS. UNICEF said authorities have agreed to an inoculation campaign in the near future. (AFP, May 9). UNICEF is ready to support 100,000 children with an essential learning package when school starts on 1 June. Early Childhood Development emergency kits are being distributed for young children in affected areas by UNICEF partners, and SC has started to use these to ensure child-friendly spaces in shelter camps around Yangon. (OCHA, May 9) A joint UNICEF and ACF assessment has been completed. (OCHA, May 11) UNICEF has distributed 30,000 masks and gloves to help workers clear the dead amid fears that people can get sick from handling corpses. However, both UNICEF and WHO stress that bodies left after natural disasters do not spread disease. (AP, May 12)

 

The UNHCR will support the IFRC, which has been designated as the in-country lead for the Shelter Cluster. UNHCR has been authorized to transport shelter materials, including plastic sheeting and tents across the Mae Sot (Thailand) – Myawaddy (Myanmar) border crossing. Two trucks crossed the border the afternoon of May 10. (OCHA, May 10). The agency says it hopes to deliver 22 tons of relief from Thailand starting Saturday (May 10). (UN, BP, May 8) UNHCR is working with Myanmar officials to get shelter supplies into Myanmar from Thailand and is exploring possibility of sending more shelter materials to Yangon by air from Dubai. (OCHA, May 9). Plastic sheeting and other shelter items are available and more needed. Current stock will be sent out with NGOs for distribution. A UNHCR specialist arriving May 11 and two to three more staff at beginning of week if visas approved. (OCHA, May 11) In the first UN aid convoy to arrive in Myanmar by land, UNHCR was able to get two trucks with shelter material for 10,000 people across the Thai-Myanmar border to Yangon. (AP, May 12)

 

UNOCHA reported that all WFP cargo has now been released to the WFP. There is no more rice at the WFP warehouse in Yangon and small amounts are being relocated from field sites. An additional 2,000 MT rice has been sourced from outside of the affected areas for Yangon and 2,000 MT for Irrawaddy. WFP is exploring cash options with NGOs as an interim solution in areas where market’s are functioning. (UNOCHA, May 11) WFP seeking US$56 million for food for 630,000 people for three months. (Reuters, May 12) The WFP reported that 77 MT of food relief were provided to 13,400 people in Yangon. This was achieved in partnership with AMI, ACT, WVI, AZG and WFP’s own teams. A total of 160 MT of WFP food aid has now been distributed since the disaster, with 24,000 beneficiaries reached. Another 37 MT of high energy biscuits (HEB) are due to arrive by air on May 10, and distribution of stocks already in the country will continue. (OCHA, May 10). WFP is undertaking an Immediate Response Emergency Operation of US$500,000 for an estimated 40,000 beneficiaries as an initial response, is expected to be exhausted quite shortly. WFP is planning an Emergency Operation to reach approximately 630,000 beneficiaries with a complete food basket. A total of 90 MT of rice has been dispatched to camps in Yangon, distributed by cooperating partners, and 40 MT to Labutta. The WFP is in the process of establishing sub-offices in Labutta, Bogale and Mawlamyinegyun. An office building has been identified in Labutta (to be shared with other agencies). Construction of two temporary warehouses began (capacity of 400 MT; one for food, the other for nonfood items for other agencies). (OCHA, May 10). WFP is leading logistics cluster. WFP has 3,900 MT of food commodities in-country, 980 MT of which were in Yangon. WFP’s Logistics Response Team (LRT) is in Bangkok awaiting deployment. WFP’s regional Logistics Officer has joined WFP in-country. (OCHA, May 9). WFP has 220 local staff and 15 foreigners. (IHT, May 12)

 

The WHO has received guarantees that its shipments will be able to be passed directly to its own Regional Surveillance Officers (who are Myanmar nationals). The Government has set up a technical office in Yangon General Hospital. International staff has so far been unable to travel to affected areas. WHO dispatched 30,000 surgical masks and 30,000 pairs of gloves to the affected areas in Bogalay and Labutta through UNICEF trucks on 10 May 2008. The supplies will be used for dead body collection and by health workers at health facilities in the affected areas. There have been no reports of major disease outbreaks, but the risks remain high. (OCHA, May 10). WHO has ordered its in-country polio surveillance network team to begin initial assessments. WHO has opened a temporary crisis health center in its Yangon office. The agency estimates it will need US$1 million to address initial health concerns in the coming days. (WHO, May 6) WHO in-country staff working with Ministry of Health officials to carry out health assessments and to distribute health kits. (UN, May 8)

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it has received reports of malaria outbreaks (endemic to the region) and diarrhea in the worst-affected areas, and fears of waterborne diseases were increasing due to poor sanitation and dirty water conditions. Local media has also cited some deaths due to cholera in Bogalay and Laputta. Teams of