Cyclone Nargis Update

June 2, 2008

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

Current Status

Tropical Cyclone Nargis struck southwestern Myanmar (Burma) on May 2. The official death toll is 77,738, with 55,917 reported missing. The UN estimates 2.4 million people were affected, most in the Irrawaddy Delta region. About 1.3 million people have been reached and since May 25, the number of survivors reached in the delta has increased from 23 percent to 49 percent. (OCHA, June 2)

The UN Flash Appeal stands at US$201 million and is 40.8 percent covered. According to OCHA’s Financial Tracking System, US$147.8 million has been committed to relief operations, with a further US$108.5 million pledged.

The UN World Food Program’s (WFP’s) executive director, Josette Sheeran, visited Myanmar Friday and Saturday (May 30-31), meeting with survivors and government officials and assessing WFP’s relief operations. She urged the government to improve access to the delta by clearing bureaucratic procedures. WFP still needs about two-thirds of the US$70 million it requested for food assistance operations and faces a US$32 million shortfall for its logistics operations. So far WFP has distributed a first ration of rice to about 575,000 people, but if funding is not forthcoming, the food pipeline will break by mid-July. (UNNS, June 1, OCHA, June 2)

While access is improving, logistical problems persist. The Australian air force had to hire a South African company to deliver its two transport helicopters, because its equipment was not allowed in fly in Myanmar air space. The restriction delayed some aid delivery by several days. (IRIN, June 2) About 15 UN international staff have traveled to the delta in the last week. (OCHA, June 2)

The UN’s World Health Organization is seeking US$28 million to fund the six-month action plan it approved Friday (May 30). The plan focuses on rebuilding the health care system and helping those living in temporary shelters. (UNNS, May 31)

International human rights groups Refugees International and Human Rights Watch are criticizing the junta following reports of widespread forced relocations of survivors from government-established temporary settlements back to their villages so they do not become dependent on aid. (HRW, RI, Reuters, May 30-31)

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Sunday (June 1) that tens of thousands of people have died due to the junta’s refusal to allow foreign aid, a move he called “criminal neglect.” Gates said the US may decide within days to withdraw four US Naval vessels equipped with aid that have been waiting outside territorial waters for weeks. (Reuters, AP, May 31) The junta defended itself Sunday and reiterated that it is ready to accept groups interested in rehabilitation and reconstruction. (DPA, June 1) The junta has said that the relief phase of the response is over, while the UN maintains that it will last at least six months.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) is concerned that Myanmar may try to use forced labor, including children, for rebuilding efforts. The ILO has accused the junta of forcing villagers to work on infrastructure projects for about a decade. But the UN agency says it is working with Myanmar’s generals to ensure that reconstruction does not involve forced labor. (Reuters, May 30)

Impact

The official death toll remains at 77,738 with 55,917 reported missing. State media reports 19,359 people are injured. The majority of deaths were reportedly caused by the 12-foot (3.5-meter) tidal wave (storm surge). About 21.5 million people out of Myanmar’s 53-million population live in the five regions that have been declared disaster zones – Yangon, Irrawaddy Division, Pegu (Bago) Division, Karen (Kayin) state and Mon state.

Nargis affected 2.4 million people, including about 680,000 in Yangon and 75 percent of people (1.4 million) in the Irrawaddy Delta region that includes the townships of Bogalay (Bogale), Labutta, Ngaputaw, Dedaye, Pyapon, Kyaiklat and Mawlamyinegyun.

Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry says losses from the cyclone are expected to exceed US$10 billion. Several sources report 95 percent of structures in the delta were destroyed. The IFRC reports that at least 1.5 million people remain homeless in the delta, while the UN reports up to 600,000 people have been relocated. (UN, May 31)

About 2.3 percent of Myanmar’s annual rice crop was lost in the storm. FAO says 700,000 hectares of paddy fields in the delta – about 20 percent – may need rehabilitation. About 280,000 cattle used for plowing died.

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.

Response Coordination

Myanmar’s government is coordinating disaster response with the UN Resident Coordinator and the cluster system. 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.

Myanmar’s Deputy Foreign Minister is designated officer for relief assistance and the Ministry of Revenue and Finance is the contact point for cargo arrival. A Ministry of Health team is working out of Yangon General Hospital to coordinate health response.

Most aid delivery is through national and community-based NGOs. The Myanmar Red Cross Society is the key agency.

The Tripartite Core Group (TCG) has met twice, discussing access, visa issues, helicopters and forced returns, and an upcoming needs assessment. The TCG has three representatives each from the junta, ASEAN and the UN. (OCHA, June 2)

Coordination hubs are in Labutta, Bogalay, Pyapon, Mawlamyinegyun and Pathein.

OCHA launched a Humanitarian Information Center (HIC) Web site for Myanmar at http://myanmar.humanitarianinfo.org and an On-Site Operations Coordination Center.

Sector Status
Logistics	WFP is the lead of the logistics cluster and is supported by the UNJLC. Coordinated In-Country Response: (For detailed Situation Reports for each cluster please check the HIC website: http://myanmar.humanitarianinfo.org/ ) Yangon Airport remains the primary hub. The template for all procedures is available at http://www.logcluster.org/mm08a. On May 28, the Government of Myanmar approved all remaining visa requests for various UN agencies. UN Secretary-General Ban met with Sen. Gen. Than Shwe on May 23 and the junta leader agreed to allow “all” aid workers into Myanmar. UN says there is a strong need for strategic coordination at the township level. The Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator is looking to place staff in the field. Clusters are in the process of identifying focal points in the five hubs. Basic information sharing is taking place in Labutta. However, strategic coordination is lacking. (OCHA, May 30) Air-bridge flights from Bangkok’s Don Muang (former international) Airport to Yangon are now underway daily as the main staging area for foreign relief to Myanmar. The operations hub is managed by WFP. The Cluster has secured the use of the hub for 3 months. The UN has chartered three planes to carry the aid into Myanmar. Currently, one Ilyushin 76 and one Antonov 12s will serve the air bridge. (WFP, May 27) Airport has available a 30,000 sqm warehouse. On June 1, the Canadian government flew in four MI-8 helicopters. (IRIN, June 2) As part of the overall logistics strategy, aircraft will fly relief supplies from Don Muang to Yangon, where they will then be transported by helicopter, trucks or barges to the disaster areas, to be distributed by NGOs on the ground. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the IFRC and MRCS have been stationed throughout Myanmar's delta areas to receive aid shipments from WFP helicopters. (IRIN, June 2) Trucks left yesterday for Pyapon, Mawlamyinegyun and Bogalay. 6 flights arrived yesterday in Yangon, for UNICEF, WFP, Care and Merlin. 2 boats left today for Pyapon/Bogalay and for Setsan, carrying medical and other relief supplies. One additional boat of 350MT capacity has been leased by the Cluster for inter-agency use. During the period of 20 to 29 May, the Cluster dispatched a total of 1,218MT of relief supplies and support equipment. (OCHA, May 30) One Cluster helicopter was able to fly to Labutta today for the first time, carrying a logistics assessment team and 0.5 tons of high energy biscuits. (OCHA, June 2) Five flights carrying supplies for various UNICEF, WFP, WVI, Samaritan’s Purse and IOM arrived today in Yangon. (OCHA, June 2) The French navy ship, the Mistral, carrying 1,000 tons of aid for Myanmar handed over its cargo Thursday to the UN in Thailand after the junta refused to let it into the country. The ship was equipped with three helicopters and carried enough food to sustain 100,000 people for two weeks and provide shelter to 60,000 homeless. (AFP, May 29). Officials say that relief supplies on board US and UK ships can be received into port of Yangon only if transported by small local boats. (DFID, May 27) The WFP chartered boat Claudia has loaded in Phuket and is departing for Yangon with cargo donated by the French for WFP, Merlin and the Red Cross. (LC, June 2) The cluster has dispatched the following cargo from May 20 to June 1: Food: 1,258 MT, Logistics: 95 MT, Nutrition: 117 MT, Shelter: 149 MT, WASH: 66 MT, Early Recovery: 10 MT for a total of 1,695 MT. (LC, June 2) To date, a total of 1.3 million beneficiaries have been reached by non-governmental (local and international NGO, Red Cross and UN) with some assistance. Since the last update (25 May) there has been a concerted effort to get more assistance to the Irrawaddy Delta where the percentage of people reached has increased from 23% to 49%. It is important to note however that most of these persons have been reached with inconsistent levels of assistance. In the first 4 weeks, access and supplies were limited so organizations gave only a small amount to the enormous numbers of people who needed assistance. While access has improved for the almost 15 international staff who have travelled to the Irrawaddy in the last week, agencies have still to establish permanent presence with sufficient capacity to meet the enormous needs that must be sustained for the next 6 months, until the next harvest in October. (OCHA, June 2) There remains a serious lack of sufficient and sustained humanitarian assistance for the affected populations. This is compounded by the lack of a clear knowledge of the locations, numbers of families, and level of assistance required, as well as a clear understanding of the support being provided by the Government to its people. A clear analysis of the needs against the assistance available, planned for, and required is a priority. (OCHA, June 2) The Logistics Cluster in Myanmar is offering five types of services to the UN and NGOs: 1) Air cargo facilitation, 2) Temporary storage facilities, 3) Common transport service, 4) Logistics hubs and 5) Logistics information management. (UNJLC, May 26) ASEAN has agreed to lead the international assistance effort and has established a mechanism to coordinate assistance into Myanmar. A Core Group chaired by the government and also comprised of the UN and ASEAN, will deal with operational issues regarding international assistance. An ASEAN Emergency Rapid Assessment Team (ERAT) in collaboration with the UN, has been working on assessments. (WHO, May 26) The leads of the Tripartite Core Group (TCG) have been identified as follows: for the GoM the Deputy Foreign Minister, from ASEAN the Thai Ambassador to Myanmar, and from the UN the Humanitarian Coordinator. (OCHA, May 28) The TCG met today for the second time. Issues of discussion on the agenda today were the terms of reference for the Post Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA) and the schedule for the PONJA. The Group also addressed access, procedures for visa extensions and helicopters. Clarification was also received from the GoM on the procedure for new NGOs coming into the country: they should apply to Embassies abroad, which would then transmit the application to the Deputy Foreign Minister. The Humanitarian Coordinator raised the issue of ‘forced relocation’ and expressed concern. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs assured the TCG he would address this issue. (OCHA, June 2) Tasks of the three groups of participants were defined as follows: ASEAN would contribute through the deployment of its ERAT team; the GoM will facilitate the assessment, assign national experts and provide access; the UN would coordinate the assessment and rally support from the entire IASC; and the World Bank and Asian Development Bank would support the ASEAN efforts. (OCHA, June 2) The orientation workshop for the PONJA started today and the objective of this orientation workshop is to train participants on the methodology and tool involved in the assessment. The needs assessment, conducted under the TCG, will be composed of two parts, a Village-Tract Assessment and a Damage and Losses Assessment. (OCHA, June 2) Major outputs expected from the needs assessment are: a preliminary report for the ASEAN roundtable on June 24 (which will feed into a revised Flash Appeal), the PONJA report, as well as a Recovery and Reconstruction Plan, and a lessons-learned document. (OCHA, June 2) It is planned that data collection and data entry will take place between the June 9-21, leading to the presentation of a preliminary report to ASEAN on June 24. The final report is intended to be published on the July 12. (OCHA, June 2) Based on available assessments, 2.4 million people are estimated to have been affected in the 40 most-affected townships (including urban Yangon townships). Of the 2.4 million people affected, an estimated 1,017,000 (42%) people have been reached with some kind of relief support. (OCHA, May 24) The logistics cluster is now operating a 4,000 square meter warehouse in Yangon (managed by DHL), along with a fleet of 30 trucks, four barges (200-800 MT) with four barge pushers (total capacity = 2,150 tons), and two boats (300 and 600 MT). One jetty has been identified in Yangon. UN using four barges to distribute goods from Yangon to the delta. Transit time is between 3 and 6 days. Each can carry some 700 tons. (DFID, May 26) Cluster says barge operation proceeding well, with 983 tons moved on May 25. (LC, May 27) The cluster and WFP require additional boats. 5 boats of 30-40 MT, 10 boats of 15-20MT and 5 boats of 2-3MT are required. The Logistics Cluster is currently working to address this. The cost of fuel is a challenge. There are still areas that have not been reached. (OCHA, May 30) Cluster says port in Yangon is operational but there is no container offloading equipment, although there is container handling equipment (container and forklifts) on ground. (LC, May 27) Logistics hubs storage updates: Mawlanyaingyun:location identified. 2,000 tons available in MAPT w/h. Labutta 7 Mobile Storage Units (MSUs) (1 dedicated to UNICEF and 4 to WFP). All heavy cargo moving by barge. 1,840 sqm (240sqm for UNICEF, 1,120 for WFP, 480 available) Pathein: 1200 sqm under negotiation. Pyapon: 2 MSUs up, 150 pallets received. Easily accessible by truck. (480 sqm). 240 sqm dedicated to CARE and 1,600 sqm under construction. (OCHA, June 2) Bogalay: 2 MSUs up (1 for UNICEF use). 480 sqm (240 sqm dedicated to UNICEF, 240 to WFP and 240 to IOM.) 720 sqm under construction. (UNJLC, May 28) Cluster says 7 storage tents have been received and five erected. Out of these, 3 are in use and 2 are available. Leveling ground works for two storage tents are ongoing and will be ready by the end of this week. Trucking will be available by June 5. One speed boat received. (LC, June 2) Myanmar has allowed 10 WFP helicopters to deliver emergency supplies, capable of carrying 3 MT of relief into the delta. Canada will deliver up to five helicopters to Myanmar via Bangkok. (WFP, May 27) The Royal Australian Air Force has delivered two helicopters to the UN in Thailand to be used by the WFP. (ABC, May 28) The fleet of trucks is set up at the inter agency warehouse set up by the cluster. The fleet consists of: 5 trucks of ten feet capacity, 10 trucks of 14 feet capacity, 10 trucks of 22 feet capacity and 5 trucks of 32 feet capacity. (UNJLC, May 26) The NGO Concern says 70 percent of the roads are now accessible again. (Concern, May 27) The 22-mile long road from Pyapon to Bogalay is narrow and in poor condition. Trucks carrying relief cargos were recommended not to travel at night. Main road from Yangon to Pathein is in good condition. The Kyayklat – Bogalay and the Myaungmya – Labutta roads are in poor condition. Bridges on the road to Labutta are reported to be in bad condition and only passable for maximum 12 ton trucks. (LC, May 26) Road conditions are difficult, the 22 miles from Pyapon took 1.5 hours. Max weight on bridges is 7 tons. Barge operation considered better option for this stretch. (LC, May 27) World Vision reported the following traveling times: Yangon – Kyaiklat: 3 hours by road Yangon – Bogalay: 4.5 hours by road Yangon – Pyapon: 3.5 hours by road Pyapon –Mawlamyinegyun: 1.5 hours from Pyapon by river by boat
Food	WFP’s Emergency Operation for Myanmar with a budget of US$69.5 million aims to deliver a complete food basket to a total of 750,000 people in need of immediate food assistance. So far, WFP's operation has received US$21.3 million in confirmed contributions, including over US$5 million from the UN’s CERF. (OCHA, May 28) The Cluster estimates that monthly food requirement is approximately 8,933 tons. WFP plans to cover 11 townships in Irrawaddy and 8 townships in Yangon for its emergency response. (OCHA, May 28) WFP has now dispatched enough food to the affected areas to feed 575,000 people with a two-week ration of rice. WFP estimates that nearly 485,000 people have received a first ration of food since the cyclone struck. High-energy biscuits for over 107,000 children and ready-to-eat meals for about 2,500 people have also been dispatched. (WFP, May 30) UN says food supplies have yet to reach at least 200,000 people. (Reuters, June 2) Permission for procurement of another 10,000 tons of rice was granted from Ministry of Commerce (MoC) on May 29. This is in addition to the previously permitted 10,000 tons of which 1,200 tons have been delivered to the delta. Furthermore, permission for procurement of 3,000 tons pulses (chick peas) was granted from MoC on May 29 (in addition to 1,000 tons being delivered at the moment). (OCHA, May 30) Field Level Agreement with WFP partners for food distribution with caseload and geographical coverage has been finalized and now in the signing stage. To date WFP and partners distributed approximately 3,000 tons of food to the cyclone affected areas. (OCHA, May 30) 1,600 tons of vegetable oil from the US in-kind contribution will be imported beginning next week. Total caseload and tonnage for the 6 month operation are as follows: Total caseload: 663,000. Total Tonnage: 62,242 (with complete food basket of rice, pulses, oil, salt). (OCHA, May 30) Distribution with four partners is planned to start June 1 for a total of 220,000 beneficiaries. WFP will continue to coordinate food cluster activities in Bogalay and Labutta where its sub-offices are on the ground. (OCHA, May 30) WFP has established two sub-offices in the Irrawaddy delta region - in Labutta and Bogale -and has relocated national staff members from the north to the affected areas in the south to step up its response capacity. (WFP, May 30) WFP deployed its first international head of Sub-office for Labutta today. The Head of Sub-Office is intended to stay in Labutta for 2 months. (OCHA, June 2) The cluster has currently joined efforts with other clusters in the development of the Rapid Village Tract Assessment. In addition a more in depth assessment of the food situation is planned following the first distribution. (OCHA, May 30) WFP started a new project in Yangon Division which provides cash to 200,000 people severely affected by the cyclone. (OCHA, June 2) WFP started a new project in Yangon Division which provides cash to 200,000 people severely affected by the cyclone. WFP is working with 4 international NGO partners who started distribution today. (OCHA, June 2) One WFP helicopter for the first time went to Labutta today, carrying 0.5 tons of high energy biscuits. (OCHA, June 2) If funding is not forthcoming for WFP, th