Myanmar: one year later

02/05/2009

Half a Million People Remain Vulnerable in Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta

May 2, 2009 (Ottawa, ON) - On 2 May 2008, Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar. The disaster left over 130,000 people dead or missing and another 2.4million people were affected. In the low-lying delta region, entire towns and villages were wiped out, crops ruined, water sources contaminated and livelihoods destroyed.

One year after Cyclone Nargis devastated southern Myanmar, members of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION have provided assistance to over a million people affected by this disaster. They continue to support families and children in areas hardest hit by the storm, working to improve their lives and well-being through education, health, clean water, sanitation, shelter, nutrition and livelihoods programs. But despite this assistance, much help is still needed if the people of Myanmar can hope to fully rebuild their lives.

More than 500,000 people - including 200,000 children - are still living in makeshift shelters as the monsoon season looms. The members of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION continue to assist tens of thousands of affected families across the Irrawaddy Delta and are preparing to distribute additional needed resources, building materials and cash grants to people living in the low-lying region.

"Cyclone Nargis demolished farmland, cattle, fishing ponds and equipment leaving the vast majority of survivors who rely on these for an income struggling to make ends meet", said Robert Fox, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada.

While public attention on the emergency has long faded, the recovery of lives and livelihoods continues, despite ever-growing obstacles.

"Half a million people are living in flimsy structures, exposed to the elements," said Andrew Kirkwood, Save the Children's country director in Myanmar. "Impoverishment in the Delta, which was exacerbated by the cyclone, has made it difficult for people to rebuild their lives and homes, provide sufficient nourishment for their children or meet other basic needs."

A year after the disaster, those people who had lost everything have been dealt another blow, as failure of recent rice crops have left many without a livelihood or even enough to eat; 85% of the total population are dependent on this harvest for income, food or both.

"A perfect storm of circumstances has left millions of people in Myanmar teetering on the edge of yet another emergency. As in all disasters, those most affected are women and children, and they need our support now more than ever" says CARE Canada CEO, Kevin McCort.

A recovery plan prepared by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United Nations in Myanmar and the Government of Myanmar, says that $US 690 million is needed from the international community over the next three years to restore people's lives to what they were before the cyclone.

The members of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION continue to provide essential support to the people most affected by Cyclone Nargis and have put in place essential programs to help people rebuild their livelihoods through access to income generating programs and services including education, health, nutrition, clean water and sanitation.

Member Agency Responses: Overview