Boy in Mya Ba Go village, Bogale Township in the Delta
Cyclone Nargis
On 2 May 2008, Cyclone Nargis swept through the Southern regions of Myanmar, devastating one of the poorest regions in Asia, wreaking destruction on millions of lives and homes. Approximately 11 million people in Yangon and the Southern Delta region have been affected by the disaster, with countless lives lost and numerous people rendered homeless overnight. (1)
In the most severely affected townships of the Ayeyarwady Division, UNDP assessment teams have called for urgent aid relief. Of immediate urgency is the supply of food and clean water. Standard water chlorination and purification methods are not effective as current water supplies have become brackish, tainted by salt water and other pollutants. Without adequate clean water supplies, the potential onset of dreaded health epidemics such as cholera and dengue fever is high, putting many more lives at risk. Food supplies are also dwindling quickly, compounding the already precarious health situation.
Temporary shelter is also urgently required. It is estimated that approximately 80% of houses have collapsed in the severely affected regions, with the remaining structures also suffering damage. There is a need to quickly rebuild homes and shelters for the affected. Financial resources are urgently needed to aid the destitute families but the Myanmar government currently employs restrictions on relief works offered by NGO’s and international aid agencies.
The Nargis Action Group (part of Myanmar Egress) is one of the few groups that have obtained permission from the Myanmar government to participate in the immediate relief activities of Cyclone Nargis. We have been authorized to provide assistance in the four townships of Labuta, Bogalay, Pyapon and Ngapudaw.
We seek your help and assistance in providing immediate and long-term relief aid to the affected regions and Myanmar people.
(1)http://unosat.web.cern.ch/unosat/freeproducts/Myanmar/CycloneNargis/UNOSAT_Myanmar_CycloneNargis_MODISFloods5May2008_Lowres_v1.pdf
