Cyclone Nargis Update

 

May 16, 2008

 

 

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

 

Current Status

 

Tropical Cyclone Nargis struck southwestern Myanmar (Burma) around 16:00 local time on May 2 packing sustained winds of 120 mph (190 kph) and causing widespread damage to buildings, infrastructure and swaths of farmland. Myanmar state media reported the official death toll Friday (May 16) at 77,738, with the number of missing doubling to 55,917. (AP, BBC, The News, May 16) The UN says the number of dead could reach 102,000 and the Red Cross estimates as high as 127,990. Yangon (Rangoon), Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) Division, Bago (Pegu) Division, Kayin (Karen) state and Mon state have all been declared disaster zones. The UN estimates between 1.6 and 2.5 million people were severely affected by the storm and only about 300,000 have been reached. (OCHA, May 15)

 

A UN Flash Appeal of US$187 million launched May 9 covering the next six months is using 1.5 million people for its initial planning. According to OCHA’s Financial Tracking System, US$80.3 million has been committed to relief operations, with a further US$52.7 million pledged. A UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) grant of US$20.4 million will support 11 projects in seven clusters. (OCHA, May 15) The UN says that 55,000 MT of rice is needed to feed 750,000 people for three months and only 50 percent can be procured in-country. The WFP says it only has 3,000 MT on hand and warns that Myanmar faces a major food crisis, as the storm destroyed the country’s dry-season rice harvest and may impair planting for the main harvest.

 

Myanmar’s government welcomes aid from any nation. More flights carrying relief items are being allowed in the country and the supplies are reaching more affected people, but the arriving aid is still far below what is necessary and the UN is concerned that a logistical bottleneck is developing in Yangon. Some European nations have been calling for the UN principle of “responsibility to protect” which would allow the delivery of aid without Myanmar’s permission. The junta has been slow to grant visas to international relief workers. All five UNDAC team members are now in-country assisting ASEAN’s Emergency Rapid Assessment Team (ERAT). Part of the eight-member ERAT is now in-country planning a rapid assessment of affected areas.

 

The EU’s top aid official, Louis Michel, is in Myanmar meeting with the junta and has been denied access to the Irrawaddy Delta. Myanmar promises to take foreign diplomats on a regional tour over the weekend. (BBC, May 16)

 

As of Thursday (May 15), 27 relief cargo flights had flown to Myanmar and 32 more were confirmed to arrive – 10 from NGOs. (OCHA, May 15)

 

The IFRC says a lack of clean water will be the biggest killer in Myanmar in coming days, primarily because of the spread of disease. IFRC says the Myanmar Red Cross lacks logistical capacity to distribute purification units to all who need them. (AP, May 15) The primary health concerns are trauma, diarrhea and acute respiratory infections. Although some cases of malaria and diarrheal diseases have occurred, no major outbreaks have been reported. The UN also lists food, shelter and medical supplies as critical needs.

 

Heavy rains disrupted aid operations in the Irrawaddy Delta and Yangon Friday,

with more forecast over the weekend. In the last two weeks, the delta has received about four times its average rainfall for the time period (USAID, May 15). The southwest monsoon season typically runs from June to September.

 

Impact

 

The official death toll rose to 77,738 Friday with 55,917 reported missing. The majority of deaths, according to Myanmar's government, were caused by the 12-foot (3.5-meter) tidal wave (storm surge). About 24 million people out of Myanmar's 53-million population live in the five regions that have been declared disaster zones - Yangon city (population 6 million), Irrawaddy Division, Bago (Pegu) Division, Kayin (Karen) state and Mon state. The UN estimates that 1.6 to 2.5 million people have been severely affected by the cyclone and reports 220,000 as missing. A majority of the 40 townships in Yangon and seven townships in Irrawaddy division remain on the government’s list of disaster zones. Assessments are completed or under way in 58 townships, including the priority areas of Dedaye, Pyapon, Kyaiklat, Mawlamyinegyun, Wakema and Bogale in the Irrawaddy Delta.

 

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. The delta’s population is estimated at 6 million and about 1.8 million people live below 16.4 feet (5 meters) in elevation. Around 1,930 sq. miles (5,000 sq. km) of land remain under water. About 9,330 survivors have been evacuated from the worst-hit parts of southwest Irrawaddy Division. The UN says about 550,000 people are in temporary shelters in the delta and many report insufficient supplies of food and water. (AFP, May 15)

 

The storm took down electricity and communication lines while landlines remain down, some cell phones are functioning. Water and power have been restored in some areas.

 

Widespread destruction and lack of running water could yield epidemics of food- and water-borne diseases such as cholera and diarrhea. Damage to health facilities and loss of health care workers pose another major problem for access to health services. The WHO has reported confirmed cholera cases among some survivors, but says the number is in line with normal monsoon season levels in areas where the disease in endemic. (MSNBC, May 16)

 

The FAO estimates that 20 percent of rice fields – 650,000 of 3.2 million hectares – in the five disaster zones were damaged, a devastating blow as Myanmar’s dry-season rice harvest had just begun when Nargis hit. (Reuters, May 15) The FAO has estimated short and medium term needs to rehabilitate the agriculture sector at US$243 million plus US$20 million for replacing lost livestock. The five worst-hit states produce 65 percent of the country’s rice, and have about half of all irrigated areas. They produce roughly half of the country’s poultry and 40 percent of pigs.

 

Myanmar’s Ministry of Education says 3,000 primary schools were destroyed or damaged, affecting 500,000 children. UNICEF says children account for 40 percent of the hardest-hit population and are the most likely to die in disease outbreaks. Children who have lost homes and families are now vulnerable to exploitation, child soldier recruitment and trafficking. UNICEF says 1 million children need urgent assistance. (AFP, IHT, May 16)

 

Response Coordination

 

Myanmar’s government is coordinating disaster response with the UN Resident Coordinator and officials from UN agencies that are leading the cluster system established by the UN Disaster Management Team with assistance from an Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). Most aid delivery is facilitated through national NGOS and community-based NGOS with the Myanmar Red Cross Society the key agency.

 

Myanmar’s Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement is in charge of national relief efforts, with the Information Management Unit (MIMU) taking the lead in information management activities. Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Maung Myint is the designated officer for all relief assistance and the Ministry of Revenue and Finance is the contact point for all cargo arriving in Myanmar.

 

The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement has agreed to deploy UN national staff to support national emergency relief efforts initially in Pathein, Labutta, Bogale and Yangon. National UN liaison officers stationed in government facilities work closely with the national Disaster Management Teams to assist coordination, planning and information sharing. The officers are breiefed by UNDAC.

 

A coordination center has been established in Labutta where multi-sector meetings are taking place daily, currently lead by the UN Development Program. UNDP and WFP staff are considering an additional operations center in Bogale. (UN, May 15)

 

OCHA has launched a Humanitarian Information Center (HIC) Web site for Myanmar at http://myanmar.humanitarianinfo.org. The site is designed to improve information exchange and collaboration between responding agencies and provides aggregate information from the IASC clusters, maps, contact information and meeting details.

 

OCHA has set up an On-Site Operations Coordination Center (OSOCC) working with the MIMU.

 

 

 

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 is in charge of national relief efforts. 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. At least five helicopters are airlifting supplies to the disaster-hit regions. Four infantry divisions have been deployed to affected areas. An Emergency Committee headed by the prime minister has been established and has 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.

 

State media reported May 15 that authorities have transported 327.2 total tons of aid to areas including Bogalay, Kamatalu, Kyeinchaung, Setsan, Kyonda, Amar, Pathein, Labutta and Myaungmya. (OCHA, May 15)

 

The government is struggling to manage the volume of relief coming through the primary hub at Yangon International Airport. Officials request one day’s notice be given for clearance of airlifts at the airport. The government said it is now open to the UN distributing goods that arrive for its agencies.

 

The government has pledged approximately US$5 million for relief.

 

Myanmar Health Ministry officials are working with WHO in-country staff to carry out health assessments and distribute health kits and has deployed doctors and nurses to staff hospitals reopening in Bogale and Labutta.

 

 

National Response

 

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. A forum with national and local NGOs is planned for May 14.

 

State media reported May 14 that nationwide donations total US$3.75 million (4.3 billion MMK). (OCHA, May 15)

 

The Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS), working as an auxiliary to the national response, is one of the key agencies responding to the disaster with large numbers of people on the ground. MRCS has been distributing emergency relief supplies in Yangon and Irrawaddy Divisions through its established logistic system and network of local volunteers. MRCS has five operational assessment teams in Irrawaddy, Yangon and Bago divisions, Mon and Kayin states. MRCS is helping UNICEF distribute supplies.

 

 

International Response

 

United Nations

 

The UN Designated Official has decided to restrict all UN missions to Myanmar to those involved in relief operations. All non-essential travel to the country is to be postponed with immediate effect until further notice. (OCHA, May 15)

 

All five members of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team are now in Myanmar. The team will assist the ASEAN Emergency Rapid Assessment Team (ERAT) and is working with UNRC to strengthen coordination.

 

The UN Resident Coordinator (UNRC) has been liaising with representatives of the government.

 

Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Homes may visit Myanmar this week.

 

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. OCHA says there are now 100 UN international staff in Myanmar and close to 40 visas have been granted to UN staff.

 

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. Member states announced US$58.4 million in pledges for the Flash Appeal and bilateral aid to the Myanmar government. A UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) grant of US$20.4 million will support 11 projects in seven clusters. (OCHA, May 15)

 

A United Nations Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) with assistance from an Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) developed a cluster system for the relief effort.

 

UNDP leads the early recovery cluster. It has established a relay system using road transportation of personnel and supplies into Irrawaddy Division. (OCHA, May 9) UNDP and its implementing partner, PACT, have 19 field offices and some 500 staff stationed in the Irrawaddy Delta area. UNDP continues to assist UN agencies and INGOs with its field delivery capacity. Together with WFP, it is still delivering rice to affected village communities, with a concerted effort to use UNDP offices in Yangon and the field to aid and coordinate logistics. (UNDP, May 15) UNDP has now commenced water and sanitation activities in Labutta. UNDP plans to deliver UNHCR tarpaulins and other relief items to Ngapudaw in Irrawaddy Division this week. UNDP has assembled a technical team to arrange early recovery assessments, made up of field staff in the delta. Information will be gathered from the 1,700 villages in which UNDP is operational. Baseline information on the pre-cyclone situation for most sectors in the delta has already been collated and will feed into assessments and the preparation of an early recovery framework. A SURGE Team has been requested by UNDP to support the coordination, assessment and strategic planning for early recovery processes. The four-member team is currently in Bangkok and is expected in Yangon on Sunday (May 18). (OCHA, May 15)

 

UNICEF leads three clusters: water/sanitation, education and protection and has launched an appeal for an initial US$8.2 million. The agency has 130 local workers and 17 foreigners. 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. There are four mobile UNICEF teams in six townships of the Irrawaddy delta and another seven teams in 17 townships in the Yangon area. UNICEF and WFP plan to carry out a nutrition and food security survey jointly. UNICEF is also working to provide further data-connectivity in Labutta and Bogale. (OCHA, May 15)

 

The UNHCR will support the IFRC, which is the in-country lead for the Shelter Cluster. Out of the US$187 million Flash Appeal, UNHCR is asking for some US$6 million to help some 250,000 people with temporary shelter materials. UNHCR has so far brought in a total of 119 tons of shelter supplies and other relief items. The shelter cluster plans to reach 200,000 of 300,000 affected households within three weeks.

 

WFP leads the logistics cluster and is seeking US$56 million for food for its Emergency Operation for 630,000 people for three months. The agency has 220 local staff and 15 foreigners. WFP has dispatched a total of 426.1 MT of food assistance. 184.5 MT has been distributed, covering 30,000 people. The Food Cluster has begun to draft a “Cluster Response Plan,” with one part covering Yangon and the other part covering the delta area. WFP has so far reached some 74,000 people with food aid in the affected areas. WFP has now distributed 274.1 tons of food to approximately 71,893 beneficiaries (though the actual figure is likely higher as it is difficult to obtain distribution information from remote areas). However, WFP estimates that it will need to move 390 tons of food every day if it is to reach the 750,000 people it is targeting over the next 30 days. UNICEF and WFP plan to carry out a nutrition and food security survey jointly. (OCHA, May 15)

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) leads the health cluster, which comprises 22 international NGOS and other UN agencies. Sixteen WHO surveillance officers have been deployed to Irrawaddy and Yangon. Personnel include 11 international staff. WHO's South-East Asia Regional Office has released US$350,000 from its regional health emergency fund (SEARHEF). Another US$50,000 has been provided by WHO headquarters in Geneva. Additional funding is being mobilized through the UN Flash Appeal. The CERF has allocated US$4 million for Health Cluster activities. WHO reports that approximately 50 percent of rural and township health centers in affected areas have been damaged. The majority of centers have lost their roofs. (OCHA, May 15)

 

The FAO has offered to lead an agricultural cluster, but is currently assisting food security efforts, carrying out a joint assessment of food needs with the WFP. FAO has obtained clearance from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries and is proceeding with the preparation of assessments. OCHA says FAO staff, both local and international, has been allowed to move freely in affected areas. A team of three FAO international experts and one local staff member will visit Bogale. One additional FAO international emergency expert will join FAO in Myanmar on May 17.

 

UN Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC) is working on logistics issues, including supply storage and transportation. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is distributing reproductive health kits.

 

A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Program Specialist on Assessment for the Education Sector is working with UNICEF on education assessment and setting up a pre- and post-situation analysis database. (OCHA, May 15)

 

NGOs / IOs

 

ActionAid is delivering food, water, medical aid and temporary shelters in 276 villages with its local partners – Knowledge and Dedication for the Nation (KDN), Pact Myanmar and Myanmar Egress. (ActionAid, May 11) KDN has set up four relief camps providing food, medical aid and temporary shelters to survivor from 44 delta villages.

 

Action Against Hunger/Action Contre la Faim (ACF) has one plane carrying 40 tons of relief and WASH materials arriving in Yangon May 15 and another plane arriving Friday (May 16) with 2,400 10-liter jerry cans, 120 tarpaulins and 1,440 WASH hygiene kits. (OCHA, May 15) ACF delivered 25 tons of rice, water purification equipment and technical expertise to Bogolay. ACF has 21 international and over 300 national staff responding in Myanmar. (ACF, May 12)

 

Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA) is committing US$265,000 in emergency funds for disaster relief, complemented by an additional US$100,000 from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. (ADRA, May 14) ADRA is providing food assistance and emergency response personnel. In partnership with the WFP, ADRA Myanmar is coordinating the delivery of up to 250 MT of rice to Labutta, which will provide for 20,000 people for 30 days. (ADRA, May 8)

 

AmeriCares Foundation has an emergency relief expert is doing assessments and obtained clearance for an airlift of 15 tons of medical supplies to Yangon. The organization is working with the WHO and mobilizing additional disaster relief experts to the region. (AmeriCares, May 10)

 

Anglican Church of the Province of Myanmar (CPM) has a relief committee that has sent three teams to assist and assess three affected areas. CPM is the local partner of Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD). (ERD, May 8)

 

Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA) opened its first mobile clinic in Yangon on May 11 with local medical professionals and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. (AMDA, May 15)

 

Air Serv International has mobilized its Rapid Response Team and is conducting a needs assessment. Helicopters are ready to deliver supplies and workers. (Air Serv, May 7)

 

American Red Cross (ARC) has made available US$250,000 in relief supplies and has committed US$1.25 million for the relief effort. (ARC, May 11)

 

Amnesty International (AI) called on the Myanmar government to ease visa restrictions and customs procedures hampering access, and called on Asian governments to pressure Myanmar. (AI, May 13)

 

Australian Aid International has a team in Thailand standing by. (AAI, May 16)

 

Austrian Red Cross will send three Austrian and several German drinking-water specialists to Myanmar to remain on the ground for six to eight weeks setting up drinking water facilities. (AFP, May 12)

 

Baptist World Aid (BWAid) received visas for search, rescue and relief team members to enter Myanmar. They will be in-country by Friday (May 16), and will make contact with Myanmar Baptists and coordinate relief efforts. (BWAid, May 15)

 

The British Red Cross has released US$59,100 (30,000 pounds) from its disaster fund.

 

CARE announced a US$1 million grant from the Gates Foundation for relief. (CARE, May 13) CARE has 500 staff members and offices in 11 of 14 states. (CARE, May 7)

 

Caritas Internationalis, through local Catholic Church partners, has delivered food, water, shelter and medical treatment to over 16,000 people in Pathein in the delta, and in Yangon districts. The number of victims receiving support is expected to rise to 40,000. (Caritas, May 13) Caritas has assembled an initial team, coordinating the relief efforts of its162 national members.

 

CHF International is working with partners to help organize emergency operations and is supporting the IFRC-led Emergency Shelter Cluster. (CHF, May 15)

 

Christian Aid is distributing water purification tablets, blankets and medicines to 100,000 people. (CA, May 10) CA has committed US$98,000 (50,000 GBP) for local partners to carry out relief work. (CA, May 8)

 

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) is making travel arrangements for an International Relief Manager and awaiting clearance from the government. It is supporting its local partner in Myanmar. (CRWRC, May 15)

 

Church World Service (CWS) has raised more than US$50,000 and was expected to deploy a team to Myanmar. (CWS, May 7)

 

Concern Worldwide is sending two emergency response team members that secured visas. An emergency assessment is the first priority. The team will link up with their European Alliance 2015 partners, CESVI and Welthungerhilfe, in Myanmar. (Concern, May 14)

 

DanChurchAid (DCA) has local partners accessing the delta. Four trucks carrying DCA has worked with local monks to deliver food, blankets, medicine and plastic sheet to monasteries. (DCA, May 14)

 

Direct Relief International committed US$500,000 in cash to the relief effort and sent an initial airlift of US$200,000 in medical aid. (DRI, May 12)

 

Dubai Cares delivered over 60 tons of relief supplies. (Govt. of UAE, May 13)

 

Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella group of 13 UK charities including Merlin, Save the Children, Red Cross, CARE and World Vision, has reached around 300,000 people with relief supplies. (DEC, May 12) DEC has raised US$11.7 million (6 million GBP). (DEC, May 14)

 

Emergency Assistance Team (EAT-BURMA), a coalition of grassroots organizations based on the Thai-Myanmar border, is working with about 40 people on the ground through networks of local organizations to deliver food, water, cooking equipment, shelter, clothing and health care. (Mae Tao Clinic, May 9)

 

Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is providing assistance through its partner, the Anglican Church of the Province of Myanmar (CPM). ERD is sending funds to secure shelter, food water and other relief needs for people displaced. (ERD, May 6)

 

European Commission - Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) representative in the Yangon office is coordinating the humanitarian response with their partners and evaluating the immediate needs with them. (ECHO, May 7)

 

Gates Foundation, founded by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, will donate US$3 million, to be channeled through independent aid groups such as CARE and World Vision. (AFP, May 9)

 

Global Hope Network International (GHNI) is working with partners in Southeast Asia to send immediate humanitarian assistance. They are also preparing to send six containers of disaster relief supplies. (GHNI, May 7)

 

Global Refugee International will provide an airplane shipment of WHO-approved medical supplies to Yangon. The agency hopes to have 50,000 to 70,000 people on the ground for the next three months.

 

Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC) is working with Canadian healthcare companies, the WHO and aid agency partners on the ground to provide needed medicines and supplies. (HPIC, May 7)

 

HelpAge International is coordinating an emergency response team to assess the situation of the estimated 170,000 older people in Myanmar. (HelpAge, May 7)

 

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has six foreign and 90 local staff in Myanmar and hopes to bring more in. ICRC has delivered aid to various detention facilities. At the request of Myanmar, the ICRC is providing temporary shelter, emergency household items and enough food, drinking water and essential drugs and is supporting efforts to restore water/sanitation systems. It has drawn up an initial budget of US$1.9 million (2 million Swiss francs). (ICRC, May 7)

 

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is leading the shelter cluster with support from UNHCR. The IFRC issued a Revised Emergency Appeal for US$50.8 million (52.9 million CHF) in cash, kind, or services to assist 100,000 families for 6 months. (IFRC, May 16) IFRC is considering training locals to manage and distribute aid, due to delays in obtaining visas for foreign staff to enter Myanmar and the difficulty for any foreign staff to move beyond Yangon. By May 16, a total of 17 flights are expected to have landed in Yangon, (IFRC, May 12) and 180 tons of relief will have been delivered.

 

International Medical Corps (IMC) deployed an emergency response team in Bangkok. IMC has secured medicines, hygiene kits and water purification tablets and identified a local partner to channel initial efforts in Myanmar. The IMC team is prepared to assist directly once it receives visas to enter Myanmar. (IMC, May 13)

 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) assembled a team of Asian emergency relief specialists, including logistics, shelter and health experts, to strengthen the capacity of 200 IOM staff already in Myanmar and in the IOM regional office in Thailand. IOM has received US$1.88 million of funding to respond and has appealed for US$8 million under the UN Flash Appeal for shelter and medical projects. (IOM, May 16)

 

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) will provide cash support to its ecumenical partners toward emergency relief supplies and issue an emergency appeal. (IOCC, May 7)

 

International Rescue Committee (IRC) emergency team members have arrived in Myanmar and four additional teams are on standby for deployment to the region as the IRC prepares for a possible outbreak of water-borne diseases. The IRC also has medical, water, sanitation, operations and logistics experts in the region or ready to be dispatched to Myanmar. The IRC has emergency stocks in Dubai ready for shipment and is procuring cholera kits, emergency health kits and water treatment supplies to position in Thailand. (IRC, May 9)

 

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has deployed 100 satellite terminals to help restore vital communication links to better coordinate relief. (ITU, May 16)

 

Irish Red Cross Society has sent US$155,000 (100,000 Euros). (IRCS, May 15)

 

Lutheran World Relief (LWR) pledged US$50,000 to support the relief efforts of Action by Churches Together (ACT). (LWR, May 12)

 

MADRE is working with the Women’s Human Rights Defenders Network and three local women’s organizations to reunite families separated by the cyclone, rebuild shelter for women and families, and provide psychological counseling to traumatized children. (MADRE, May 13)

 

Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) is distributing relief and health items. Through the IFRC, the MRC is going to deploy 10 personnel skilled in medical, relief and logistic fields. MRCS has transmitted US$10, 000 to the Myanmar Red Cross Society. (MRCS, May 7)

 

Malteser International has two mobile medical teams in Labutta and has installed an emergency health station there and provided medical aid, water, food and plastic sheets. Malteser has also distributed such supplies in the Dawbon, Tantabin and Thongwa districts around Yangon. Malteser is planning the construction of water tanks and providing US$15,490 (10,000 Euros) in assistance and an additional US$78,000 (50,000 Euros) for emergency relief activities. It has received (US$78,000) 50,000 Euros from Caritas as well as funds from the German Federal Foreign Ministry. (MI, May 6) Malteser has aided a total of 50,000 survivors. (MI, May 16)

 

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) has flown in four cargo planes with water and sanitation equipment, medical supplies, therapeutic food and other relief items. A fifth plane is due in Yangon Friday (May 16). MSF has 250 staff working in Irrawaddy Delta townships -- Pyanpon, Bogalay, Haingyi, Pyinsalu, Tongwa, Labutta, Thingangon and Chaungzu. Some 30 international staff are mostly confined to Yangon. (MSF, May 16) MSF has distributed supplies and performed water sanitation at some 30 IDP sites in Yangon.

 

Medical Emergency Relief International (Merlin) is running one emergency clinic in Labutta’s damaged football stadium and setting up clinics at three other sites in Labutta. (Merlin, May 13)

 

Medical Teams International (MTI) is helping local partners purchase medicines and supplies. MTI medical volunteers and staff are on standby, waiting for visas. MTI is working with partner World Concern in Yangon to address health needs and is joining Global Relief Alliance members to provide a long-term response. (MTI, May 11)

 

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) gave US$35,000 to Metta, a Myanmar-based relief and development organization that provided rice, medicine and other items to over 68,000 people gathered in camps in southwestern Myanmar. MCC also gave US$30,000 to Hope International, US$20,000 to Church World Service, and US$15,000 to IDE-Myanmar. (MCC, May 13)

 

Mercy Corps’ (MC) director and three aid workers are in Myanmar. The agency is accepting donations to help partners on the ground deliver aid. (MC, May 15)

 

MERCY Malaysia sent a four-member relief team to Yangon and allocated an initial US$46,000 (150,000 MYR) for aid. (Government of Malaysia, May 16)

 

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) staff are still awaiting visas and permits to enter the country. (MAP, May 14)

 

Muslim Aid is working with partners like Global Medic to provide clean water, medicine and emergency healthcare. Muslim Aid is appealing for US$2 million. US$200,000 has already been allocated for relief work on the ground. (Muslim Aid, May 7)

 

Muslim Hands International (MHI) is launching an urgent appeal for funds and is assessing the situation. (MHI, May 7)

 

New Zealand Red Cross (NZRC) donated US$100,000 through its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to the IFRC emergency appeal. NZRC has received over US$75,000 in individual Kiwi donations. (NZRC, May 16)

 

Operation Blessing International will provide 40 diesel-powered generators at wells to allow water to be pumped, benefitting 20,000 people. (DRC, May 15)

 

Operation USA has deployed staff to assess needs. (Operation USA, May 6)

 

Oxfam International has committed US$1.2 million to an initial response, and has a team of experts and stockpile of supplies on standby. Oxfam is working through local partner Metta, with a crew of 29 staffers and 62 volunteers, and has provided funds to other international aid groups already established within Myanmar. (Oxfam, May 7, 13)

 

Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) has dispatched the first two members of a three-man disaster assessment team to Myanmar, stopping first in Bangkok to get visas and coordinate with the Myanmar Red Cross. (PNRC, May 12)

 

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has committed US$100,000. The response is focused on food and shelter, with up to US$50,000 planned in food aid. PDA is responding in partnership with Action by Churches Together (ACT) International and Church World Service, which have local partners to help in the provision of relief items. (PDA, May 8)

 

Project HOPE has offered medical supplies and is preparing medical personnel for a possible assistance mission. (PH, May 15)

 

Refugees International (RI) urges China, India and ASEAN countries to pressure Myanmar to allow increased international involvement and to insist that visas be granted as quickly as possible to aid workers and that import procedures be waived for humanitarian goods. (RI, May 7)

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