With forecasts of further heavy rain and with concerns growing about the worsening humanitarian situation in the cyclone-ravaged Irrawaddy delta, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is today launching an emergency appeal for 52.8 million Swiss francs (USD 50.8 million / euro 32.7 million).
“The cyclone was a monumental disaster and we are now facing a humanitarian catastrophe of staggering proportions,” said Markku Niskala, the secretary general of the International Federation. “Estimates suggest up to two million people have been affected, and our reports suggest that many of them don’t have shelter, they don’t have access to clean water and food, and there is little access to even basic health care.
The appeal aims to assist 500,000 people (100,000 families) over the next three years and focuses on five operational sectors: relief; emergency health and care and psychosocial support; water and sanitation, emergency shelter, food security and livelihoods support.
“In the immediate term, our focus will continue to be on meeting the basic survival needs of survivors – on emergency shelter, distributing relief and working to prevent epidemics,” explained Dr Thomas Gurtner, director of programmes and coordination for the International Federation.
“In the longer-term, we aim to help people to recover, to try and make their communities safer against future disasters, and to strengthen the Myanmar Red Cross and its volunteers.”
With access to the worst affected regions still challenging, the International Federation is now looking to establish a series of regional hubs in the delta, staffed and run by local Red Cross volunteers and other trained community members.
“These people know the language, culture and context,” said Mr Niskala. “They have been the first to respond and we need to continue to support and use this expertise and experience to reach as many people as possible.”
As of yesterday (14 May), 16 Red Cross Red Crescent relief flights had landed in Yangon. A further five are scheduled for today. By day’s end, more than 180 tons of Red Cross Red Crescent aid will have arrived via this relief pipeline. Since the storm, 21 expatriate Red Cross Red Crescent aid workers have joined the team that was already in place Yangon and now supporting the tireless work of an estimated 27,000 Myanmar Red Cross volunteers.
This appeal replaces the preliminary emergency appeal that was launched on 6 May, calling for approximately 6.3 million Swiss francs (US$ 5.9 million/euro 3.86 million).
For more information on the Red Cross Red Crescent operation visit www.ifrc.org/myanmar