|
Myanmar: World Vision responding to devastating cyclone
7 May 2008
| Quick Facts |
 |
|
Thousands killed
Up to 2 million affected
The government invited World Vision to provide relief
World Vision is already distributing clothing, temporary shelter, food and drinking water
As of 7 May, 34.8 metric tonnes of rice and 18,000 litres of drinking water had been distributed
World Vision has worked in Myanmar for some 40 years
World Vision offices were damaged |
Click "Home" for the latest information.
By World Vision staff
Tropical cyclone Nargis has claimed thousands of lives in Myanmar, triggering a full-scale response by World Vision.
According to state media, more than 22,000 are dead and more than 41,000 are missing. Entire villages have been wiped out, and hundreds of thousands are homeless.
World Vision International president Dean Hirsch said: “News is only slowly trickling out of the country but it is clear from the information already available that this is a major catastrophe demanding an urgent response. We know that some 2 million people have been hit hard. Many of them are already living in poor conditions and it will be very difficult for them to recover from this crisis without assistance.
 The destruction is unbelievable. Elderly people are saying this is the worst storm they have ever seen.  |
“My greatest concern is for the children of Myanmar who will be especially vulnerable at this time,” Hirsch continued. “We must get them shelter, clean water and food as quickly as possible. The threat of the spread of disease is always at the door when people are living in such conditions and children are the most likely to succumb to illness.”
The government of Myanmar has invited World Vision to provide assistance in the form of zinc sheets, tents, tarpaulins and medicine. The agency is coordinating with authorities to explore an airlift of emergency supplies into the country from one of its global warehouses.
 |
World Vision is providing clean water and other relief supplies in Myanmar.
Photo by Wah Eh Htoo
©2008 World Vision International |
World Vision assessment teams have been deployed to the hardest-hit areas to determine the most urgent needs. The agency is already providing clothing (sarongs and t-shirts) as well as tarpaulins, blankets, rice and drinking water in the capital.
As of 7 May, World Vision had delivered 34.8 metric tonnes of rice, 18,000 litres of drinking water and 150 gallons of diesel for water pump generators to people in need. Clothing, blankets and tarpaulins have also been handed out to people living in six World Vision programme areas in Yangon.
World Vision estimates that up to 2 million people may be affected by the cyclone. The organisation has several community development programmes in areas hit by the path of the storm.
In Yangon, Myanmar, World Vision’s National Director James Tumbuan described a chaotic scene: “Yangon totally collapsed. All the roads were blocked with fallen trees. The way Yangon used to look, with its big trees, has been totally changed.
| Yangon totally collapsed. All the roads were blocked with fallen trees. The way Yangon used to look, with its big trees, has been totally changed. |
“Getting drinking water is a real problem, Tumbuan continued. “We need water purification units like those that were used in the tsunami. It could take days to get the electricity back.”
Tumbuan said thousands of people were now camped in government schools in and around Yangon. He noted that one school in particular was now sheltering 5,000 people.
A World Vision aid worker said from Yangon: “The destruction is unbelievable. Elderly people are saying this is the worst storm they have ever seen.”
World Vision’s national office in Myanmar is based in Yangon—the country’s largest city and a state-declared disaster zone. The agency has worked in Myanmar for some 40 years and currently assists children and families across the country through food assistance, agriculture, health, clean water, education, income generation, anti-trafficking and nutritional assistance programmes.
|
|