Latest reports from Myanmar indicate that the destruction wrought by Cyclone nargis is considerably larger than originally anticipated. According to state media, the government of the South-East Asian country believes that as many as 15,000 people have died with an additional 30,000 said to be missing. This makes nargis the deadliest storm to hit Asia since 1991.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimates that 95 per cent of homes were destroyed in the low-lying delta region of the Irrawaddy River with as many as 1 million people directly affected by the disaster. A state of emergency has been declared in five regions: the city of Yangon, the provinces Ayeyarwady and Pegu and the Karen and Mon states.
“For the survivors, the biggest priorities right now are emergency shelter and access to clean water,” said Christine South, operations coordinator for Asia Pacific. “In the wake of disasters such as this, affected people are exposed to potential outbreaks of water borne diseases. It is therefore vital that they are able to get clean water.”
The International Federation is supporting the Myanmar Red Cross in their efforts to address the needs of the affected people. The Myanmar Red Cross is already handing out relief supplies, such as clean drinking water, plastic sheeting, clothing, insecticide-treated bed nets to help prevent malaria, and kitchen items. Additionally, the International Federation has sent a first deployment of shelter kits from Kuala Lumpur and has released an initial 200,000 Swiss francs (USD 189,000/€ 122,000) to support the Red Cross relief effort.
John Sparrow, the International Federation’s spokesperson for the operation in Kuala Lumpur says: “The south-east of Myanmar is the countries main rice-growing region. Roughly 24 million people live there, which is nearly half the country’s population.
“The storm and a large tidal wave that travelled up the Irrawaddy River have flooded many roads which make access to the affected area very difficult. The infrastructure of the region has been severely affected,” he continued.
The International Federation will release a preliminary emergency appeal in the coming hours.
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The affected area on 5 May 2008. Large areas are flooded (NASA).
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The affected area before the cyclone struck, on 15 April 2008 (NASA).
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People clear fallen trees in Yangon May 4, 2008. The powerful Cyclone nargis that slammed into Myanmar's low-lying Irrawaddy delta triggered a massive wave that gave people nowhere to run, killing at least 15,000 and leaving 30,000 others missing, officials said on Tuesday. It is the worst cyclone to hit Asia since 1991, when 143,000 people died in Bangladesh. (REUTERS/courtesy www.alertnet.org)
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