Cyclone Nargis Update

May 9, 2008

 

 

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

 

Current Status

 

Tropical Cyclone Nargis struck southwestern Myanmar (Burma) around 16:00 Friday (May 2) local time, packing sustained winds of 120 mph (190 kph). State media reportedly has not given an update on the death toll, which stands at 22,997 people dead, 42,119 missing and another 14,003 injured (GoC, May 9). The UN says that it is expected that the figures will continue to rise. Majority of the deaths have occurred in the low-lying delta region, where 90-95% of the buildings have been destroyed (UN, DFID, May 8). More than 10,000 deaths have been reported in the town of Bogalay alone. (UN, May 8) The UN World Food Program (WFP) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) initially estimated that more than 1 million people were made homeless by the storm. (IHT, May 6) The UN on May 9 said that it now fears that more than 1.5 million people have been “severely affected” by the cyclone, with tens of thousands made homeless. (BBC, May 9). The country's main city and former capital, Yangon (Rangoon), was devastated by the storm. Nargis is being called the worst cyclone to hit Asia since a 1991 storm killed 143,000 people in Bangladesh. (Reuters, May 6) Myanmar's government said more deaths were caused by the 12-foot (3.5-meter) tidal wave (storm surge) that hit the coastline than by the storm itself. (IHT, May 6) The US’ top diplomat in Yangon says cyclone deaths could exceed 100,000. (CNN, May 7)

 

Nargis touched down in the Irrawaddy Division, about 155 miles (250 km) southwest of Yangon. The hardest-hit Irrawaddy delta is the country's major rice-producing area and officials anticipate extensive damage to crops. After making landfall, the storm passed directly over Yangon late Friday local time, causing widespread destruction to buildings and infrastructure. It then tracked toward the northeast on May 3, skirting northwestern Thailand before dissipating in Myanmar's Kayin (Karen) state. Yangon, Irrawaddy Division, Bago (Pegu) Division, Kayin (Karen) state and Mon state have all been declared disaster zones. Twenty-four million of the country's 53 million people live in those five regions. Some 6 million live in Yangon. Entire villages in the delta are reportedly still submerged. (AP, May 8) A majority of the 40 townships in Yangon and seven townships in Irrawaddy division remain on the government’s list of disaster zones. Many areas of the delta have not been reached since the cyclone struck. Water and power have been restored in some areas. (OCHA, May 9)

 

In a statement in official media after turning back a team of Qatari rescue workers, Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement May 9 saying that it would accept “relief in cash and kind” but was not ready to allow foreign aid workers in to the country. The government repeated that it was happy to accept aid, but insists it would control the distribution. “Myanmar is not in a position to receive rescue and information teams from foreign countries at the moment. But at present Myanmar is giving priority to receiving relief aid and distributing them to the storm-hit regions with its own resources.” At least 12 international relief flights have landed in Yangon on Thursday (May 8). (BBC, MSNBC, May 9) Myanmar's government has said that it will welcome international aid, but travel restrictions and customs regulations continue to hinder relief efforts. The UN on May 8 said that only two UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team members were granted access to Myanmar, while the 3 other team members were still in Bangkok awaiting visas. UNDAC team is strongly advising all international relief teams deploy only if they have pre-arrival visas. (OCHA, May 8). According to WFP spokesperson in Bangkok, Paul Risley, aid workers in Bangkok will have to wait at least four more days to get into Myanmar because the Myanmar embassy took a local holiday on Friday. “This is a four-day wait which just should not happen. This is too long to wait for people whose lives are at such a precarious balance,” Risley said. (MSNBC, May 9)

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that he was seeking talks with the junta’s senior general, Than Shwe, to urge him to allow aid workers in. (Reuters, May 9)

 

The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) said that it will resume flights on Saturday (May 10), after officials in Myanmar reportedly seized tons of aid supplies. The WFP said two flights of food aid, including 38 tons of high-energy biscuits, arrived on Friday but were confiscated. The WFP says that the biscuits were enough to feed 95,000 people. The UN had temporarily suspended deliveries after the seizure and added that negotiations for the release of the supplies would continue. A government spokesperson, Ye Htut, said that the government had seized control to distribute it “without delay by its own labor to the affected areas.” Aid workers on the ground say that at least seven tons of high-energy biscuits have been distributed in the delta region, but have reached only some 10 percent of those that need help. (BBC, AP, May 9). Relief supplies from the UN began arriving in Myanmar Thursday. The planes had waited to fly out while the UN negotiated with Myanmar’s ruling junta. Relief items were airlifted from the UN Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Brindisi. (UN, AP, May 8) The government approved the UN aid flight Wednesday. Many villagers, even those near the main city of Yangon, have reportedly complained that they have not received government assistance and were relying on aid from Buddhist monasteries. (AP, May 8). International shipments have arrived from Japan, Bangladesh, India, Laos, China, Thailand and Singapore. (AP, May 9) Aid groups say they are trying to procure boats locally, but further transport equipment has not been given clearance to enter the country. (AFP, May 9)

 

The international community and the UN continue to urge the Myanmar government to lift restrictions and issue visas to allow international relief workers into the country. Myanmar’s close ally, China, has urged the government to work with the international community in cyclone relief efforts. The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) appealed to the international community to keep sending aid through Thailand. However, rights group Amnesty International said that some aid groups may be delaying aid for fears that it may be siphoned off to the country’s army. The WFP also indicated similar concerns. (AP, May 8)

 

The White House announced that Myanmar will allow a US C-130 transport plane with US supplies to land on Monday (May 12). (BBC, MSNBC, May 9)

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) received reports of malaria outbreaks (endemic to the region) and diarrhea in the worst-affected areas, and fears of waterborne diseases were increasing due to poor sanitation and dirty water conditions. Local media has also cited some deaths due to cholera in Bogalay and Laputta. (AP, Irrawaddy, May 8-9) The UNICEF chief in Yangon says that early estimates say at least 20 percent of children in worst-affected areas are suffering from diarrhea. He said water purification tablets are unlikely to help because a lot of the water supply was contaminated by saltwater. WHO is sending in 10,000 mosquito nets. In 2000 WHO ranked Myanmar’s health system as the second-worst in the world. (AP, May 9)

 

UN and humanitarian agencies already in the country have begun assessments, but access to many areas remains restricted. UNICEF, IOM and the IFRC, along with the Myanmar Red Cross, have assessment teams deployed in the field. Damaged infrastructure and communication lines will pose major problems for relief operations, according to UNOCHA. (UNOCHA, May 6)

 

Some US$47 million has been offered so far in foreign aid, including US$10 million from Japan, US$9.85 million from the United Kingdom, US$5.3 million from China, US$3.25 from the US, US$3.1 million from the European Commission and US$2.8 million from Australia. Myanmar's government has so far pledged about US$5 million for disaster response. (UNOCHA, May 5)

 

The UN said that it has released US$10 million from its Central Emergency Relief Fund. (AP, May 8) The UN team in-country has completed a draft Flash Appeal and submitted it to UN headquarters. It is expected that the final appeal will be issued on May 9. (DFID, May 8)

 

The UN Country Team considers critical needs to be plastic sheeting, water purification tablets, cooking sets, mosquito nets, emergency health kits and food. UN says the food security situation in the country, which was already severe, looked to become far more acute. (UN, May 8)

 

In a televised message, Myanmar’s junta on Friday urged its citizens to vote for an army-drafted constitution in Saturday’s (May 10) referendum. The vote in the cyclone-hit south was delayed for two weeks after Nargis hit. The last time the country had an election was in 1990 when opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won in a landslide. Some critics accuse the junta of stalling to let aid workers in as they don’t want any foreigners in the country during the referendum. (MSNBC, May 9)

 

Heavy rains are expected in parts of Myanmar. Another 4 inches of rain are forecast to fall late next week. (MSNBC, May 9)

 

 

Impact

 

The official death toll remains at 22,997 people, with 42,019 missing, but both figures are expected to climb as aid workers gain access to remote areas. Save the Children estimates as many as 50,000 may have died, while a US diplomat in Yangon expects the toll to exceed 100,000. About 24 million of Myanmar's 53-million population lives in the five regions that have been declared disaster zones - Yangon city, Irrawaddy Division, Bago (Pegu) Division, Kayin (Karen) state and Mon state. State-run media reports that 47 townships were affected, seven in the Irrawaddy Delta. (WHO, May 7) No damage or injury estimates have been released. Seven million people are believed to have been affected by hurricane-strength winds (74 mph/119 kph or higher). (UNOCHA, May 6)

 

According to the government, 21,793 of the dead and 40,695 of the missing are from the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta region where the storm touched down. Several sources report that 95 percent of structures along the delta were destroyed. In the Irrawaddy town of Bogalay, about 90 miles southwest of Yangon, an estimated 10,000 people died. According to the government, at least 57 ships sunk in the Irrawaddy River and dozens of smaller boats were also lost. The delta’s population is estimated at 6 million and about 1.8 million people live below 16.4 feet (5 meters) in elevation. (UNOCHA, May 6) Entire villages in the delta are reportedly still submerged. (AP, May 8)

 

The UN estimates that 1.5 million people are “severely affected” by the storm.

 

Electricity and communication lines were taken out in the storm and UNOCHA says it will be several days before either are repaired. Landlines remain down, but some cell phones are functioning. (UNOCHA, May 6) Water and power have been restored in some areas. (OCHA, May 9)

 

Officials say an insufficient supply of potable water will be a major problem as very little running water is available in Yangon. Aid agencies fear the widespread destruction could yield epidemics of food- and water-borne diseases such as cholera and diarrhea, as well as hinder efforts to fight tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases that require frequent vaccination and medication. The UN's World Health Organization (WHO) says damage to health facilities and loss or displacement of health care workers pose another major problem for access to health services. (WHO, May 6) The WHO said it has received reports of malaria outbreaks in the worst-affected areas, and fears of waterborne diseases were increasing. (AP, May 8)

 

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported Wednesday that Nargis may have affected the 2007 secondary rice paddy crops, which are harvested between April and June, but the extent of damage is not clear without an assessment. The five affected states are primarily agricultural societies occupied by the rural poor. They produce 65 percent of the country’s rice, 20 percent of rubber plantations, 50 percent of poultry, 40 percent of pigs and 80 percent of fish aquaculture ponds and 26 percent of shrimp aquaculture ponds. There is a risk that rice stored by farmers might have been affected by flooding. (FAO, May 7) The already severe food insecurity situation looks set to become more acute. (UNOCHA, May 6).

 

Thailand reported five districts in Tak province along the border have encountered serious flooding conditions from continuous heavy rains. More than 100 houses have been inundated and over 1,000 left homeless.

 

 

Background

 

Cyclone season is the Bay of Bengal typically runs from May through November. Nargis was the first cyclone to hit the Bay since category-4 Cyclone Sidr struck Bangladesh on November 15, killing nearly 3,400 people and devastating the southeastern coastline. In May 2004, the junta made a rare request for assistance after a cyclone hit Rakhine state, killing at least 140 people and displacing around 18,000 others. Some casualty estimates put the death toll for the 2004 storm at more than 1,000. It was reportedly the worst storm to hit Rakhine since 1968 and carried sustained winds up to 100 mph.

 

 

Country Profile

 

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has a population of about 53 million and has been ruled by a succession of military juntas since 1962. It is one of Asia's poorest nations. The current junta, ruling since 1988, has isolated the country from the outside world, making it difficult at times to extract information about events taking place in the country. The capital city, Naypyidaw, is located about 240 miles (390 km) north of Yangon.

 

Many Western nations have imposed sanctions on Myanmar in protest of its alleged human rights abuses and a crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy protests in September 2007 in which at least 31 people were killed. Myanmar receives far less foreign aid - about $US2.50 per capita - than regional neighbors Cambodia ($47) and Laos ($63) and below the $14 average for low-income nations, according to Reuters.

 

 

Government Response

 

State media is reporting that four infantry divisions have been deployed to the affected areas, where seven helicopters, 60 fiberglass boats and 10 ships have been carrying out operations. (OCHA, May 9)

 

Myanmar Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Brigadier-General Kyaw Myint said at least five helicopters were airlifting supplies to the disaster-hit regions, and plying between the Irrawaddy delta and Yangon. (Xinhua, May 9)

 

OCHA reports that it has been confirmed that the government’s approval for importation needs to be obtained prior to arrival of cargo. The Ministry of Revenue and Finance is the contact point. (OCHA, May 9)

 

Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win has said his country will welcome international aid. The government itself has pledged about US$5 million in relief funds so far.

 

Myanmar Health Ministry officials are working with WHO in-country staff to carry out health assessments and distribute health kits. (UN. May 8)

 

The Ministry of Social Welfare is expected to meet with the Acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator on Thursday. (DFID, May 8)

 

The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement is coordinating the response to the disaster. An Emergency Committee has been established, headed by the prime minister. The committee has declared Yangon, Irrawaddy Division, Bago (Pegu) Division, Kayin (Karen) state and Mon state all disaster zones. The committee has also mobilized military and police units for rescue, rehabilitation and clean-up operations in the Yangon area. Myanmar’s Information Management Unit (MIMU) has taken the lead in information management activities (UNOCHA, May 6)

 

Myanmar's Minister of Information, Kyaw Hsan, said Tuesday in a press conference that the government is trying to stem profiteering as prices of food, fuel and building materials soared in Nargis' aftermath.

 

 

National Response

 

Myanmar's Red Cross planned to dispatch five assessment teams Monday to Yangon, Irrawaddy, Bago East, Bago West, Mon and Kayin. The agency is distributing 5,000 liters (1,321 gallons) of drinking water to schools and pagodas where people have sought temporary shelter in Yangon.

 

 

International Response

 

United Nations

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that he was seeking talks with the junta’s senior general, Than Shwe, to urge him to allow aid workers in. (Reuters, May 9)

 

The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) said that it will resume flights on Saturday (May 10), after officials in Myanmar reportedly seized tons of aid supplies. The WFP said two flights of food aid, including 38 tons of high-energy biscuits, arrived on Friday but were confiscated. The WFP says that the biscuits were enough to feed 95,000 people. The UN had temporarily suspended deliveries after the seizure and added that negotiations for the release of the supplies would continue.

 

The UN said that it has released US$10 million from its Central Emergency Relief Fund. (AP, May 8) The UN team in-country has completed a draft Flash Appeal and submitted it to UN headquarters. It is expected that the final appeal will be issued on May 9. (DFID, May 8)

 

The UN continues to consult closely with the government about the need for international support. The UN continues to stress that the issuance of visas and the easing of customs rules will greatly enhance the international community’s ability to meet Myanmar’s needs. (UN, May 8)

 

The UN on Thursday said that only two UNDAC team members were granted access to Myanmar, while the 3 other team members were still in Bangkok awaiting visas. UNDAC team is strongly advising all international relief teams deploy only if they have pre-arrival visas. (OCHA, May 8).

 

A United Nations Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) with assistance from an Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) developed a cluster system for the Myanmar relief effort on Monday (May 5): The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) leads the water/sanitation, education and protection clusters. The World Health Organization (WHO) leads the health cluster. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) heads the shelter cluster. The World Food Program (WFP) heads the logistics cluster. The UN Development Program (UNDP) heads the early recovery cluster. The telecommunications cluster has not yet been assigned a leader. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has offered to lead an agricultural cluster, but initially will assist food security efforts. The IASC has already carried out initial preparedness and coordination activities and hopes that the cluster system will facilitate the preparation of a Flash appeal, should one be needed. OCHA hosted a second meeting of regional cluster leaders on Tuesday in which leaders were urged to prepare to fully support their IASC country team counterparts and seek the inclusion of NGO partners. (UNOCHA, May 6) The cluster approach has been activated by the Humanitarian Country Team to support government efforts. Cluster lead agencies held meetings in Bangkok. (UN, May 8)

 

UNICEF deployed five teams to assess damages in Yangon, Pathein (the capital of Irrawaddy Division) and Bago. UNICEF has water, school, nutrition and medical kits prepared for delivery. UNICEF has begun delivering relief supplies to the Irrawaddy Delta, including medicine, first-aid kits and oral rehydration tablets. (UNICEF, May 6) UNICEF and Save the Children are currently leading on education. (UN, May 8). UNICEF is in contact with the Ministry of Education. (OCHA, May 9) UNICEF is carrying out needs assessments in water/sanitation with 16 NGOs. Immediate priorities have been assessing damages to schools and planning for education to resume on June 1. (UN, May 8) UNICEF also launched an appeal for an initial US$8.2 million. (DPA, May 8) UNICEF and ACF plan to carry out nutrition surveys in three townships in Irrawaddy division. (OCHA, May 9) UNICEF expressed concern over unaccompanied children and the protection of women and girls in crowded shelters. Members of the protection cluster have agreed to set up Child Friendly Spaces in selected villages. (OCHA, May 9) UNICEF has 134 staff in-country. UNICEF reported that as of May 7, inter-agency assessment teams visited 17 of 47 affected townships in Yangon, Irrawaddy and Bago Divisions in coordination with MRCS. UNICEF said authorities have agreed to an inoculation campaign in the near future. “We want to get safe water and sanitation out, but measles is a deadly disease in a situation like this. We usually try to do injections as quick as possible,” said UNICEF spokesperson Shantha Bloeman. (AFP, May 9).

 

The UNHCR is providing some relief materials. UNHCR has some workers on the ground in Myanmar. UNHCR procured local plastic sheeting and shelter material worth US$50,000. Material stockpiled in Bangkok is being moved into the country. The agency says it hopes to deliver 22 tons of relief from Thailand starting Saturday (May 10). (UN, BP, May 8) UNHCR is working with Myanmar officials to get shelter supplies into Myanmar from Thailand and is exploring possibility of sending more shelter materials to Yangon by air from Dubai. (OCHA, May 9)

 

The WFP began distributing food to displaced persons in Yangon Tuesday, with plans to send aid to Labutta, the town hardest-hit by the cyclone in Irrawaddy Division, on Wednesday. WFP now has 800 MT of food in warehouses in Yangon and a flight with additional relief stocks is due to land Wednesday (May 7). (WFP, May 6) WFP is leading logistics cluster. A four-person support team has arrived in Bangkok. WFP has 3,900 MT of food commodities in-country, 980 of which are in Yangon. So far 30 MT delivered. (UN, May 8) Three flights carrying 45 tons of relief are due to land Friday from airports in the region, with a fourth flight from Brindisi. WFP’s Logistics Response Team (LRT) is in Bangkok awaiting deployment. WFP’s regional Logistics Officer has joined WFP in-country. (OCHA, May 9).

 

The WHO has mobilized 10 Interagency Emergency Health Kits, 100 body bags, 35,000 chlorine tablets and five tents. (WHO, May 7) WHO has ordered its in-country polio surveillance network team to begin initial assessments. WHO has opened a temporary crisis health center in its Yangon office. The agency estimates it will need US$1 million to address initial health concerns in the coming days. (WHO, May 6) WHO in-country staff working with Ministry of Health officials to carry out health assessments and to distribute health kits. (UN, May 8) The World Health Organization (WHO) said it has received reports of malaria outbreaks (endemic to the region) and diarrhea in the worst-affected areas, and fears of waterborne diseases were increasing due to poor sanitation and dirty water conditions. Local media has also cited some deaths due to cholera in Bogalay and Laputta. Teams of national surveillance officers have been deployed in-country to assess the risk of disease outbreaks. A WHO epidemiologist is waiting for a visa to assist. (OCHA, May)

 

The FAO has released figures of the potential impact to agriculture (see IMPACT section above). It is carrying out a joint assessment of food needs with the WFP. (FAO, May 7) FAO has obtained clearance from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries and is proceeding with the preparation of assessments. OCHA says FAO staff, both local and international, have been allowed to move freely in affected areas. (OCHA, May 9)

 

UN Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC) says an LRT team arrived in Bangkok on May 7 and is awaiting approval of visas. Logistics cluster meeting held in Yangon on May 7. Bangkok Logistics Cluster meeting held in Bangkok on May 8. (UNJLC, May 8)

 

 

NGOs / IOs   

 

ActionAid is mobilizing staff from other Asian countries to help its team in Myanmar respond to the cyclone. The area worst affected by the cyclone – the Irrawaddy Division – is one where ActionAid works. ActionAid has started an emergency program with their partner KDN, a church-based network working in 276 villages in the affected areas, and five other teams are already working on how to further scale up the response to the disaster. ActionAid’s country director is meeting with the UN, ECHO (European Commission Humanitarian Organization) and other NGOs to plan a coordinated response. (AA, May 6)

 

Action Against Hunger/Action Contre la Faim (ACF) is assessing the immediate needs in the Yangon area and is planning an emergency operation to distribute water purifying tablets and water, rehabilitate water points, distribute essential non-food items and emergency shelters, promote basic hygiene, perform environmental clearing and clean up, and provide food, cash and/or vouchers depending on local market accessibility. In February, an ACF survey found that 68 percent of people in the Irrawaddy delta region drank water from swamps, streams and unprotected water points. The survey also found that 80 percent of water points were already inadequate for water quality and not built to resist disasters like cyclones. (ACF, May 8)

 

Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA) is continuing its response in Myanmar (Burma) with food assistance and emergency response personnel. In partnership with the World Food Program (WFP), ADRA Myanmar is coordinating the delivery of up to 250 metric tons of rice to the Labutta area, which will provide for 20,000 people for 30 days. (ADRA, May 8) Immediate aid is expected to include water, water purification tablets, food distribution, and shelter materials. (ADRA, May 7)

 

Anglican Church of the Province of Myanmar (CPM) has established a relief committee that has sent three teams to assist and assess three affected areas. The teams are expected back in Yangon by May 16 to report. CPM is the local partner of Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD). (ERD, May 8)