Cyclone Nargis hits Burma
HF Burma Operations Map
8th June
2008 Burma Relief Efforts Continue
The latest news from Burma is stark. The
official death-toll now stands at over 80,000
with a further 56,000 missing. Although
relief workers have now been getting to
the more remote villages in the Irawaddy
Delta area, there are still hundreds of
thousands of people with no access to clean
water, food, clothing or shelter.
Humanity First's local team in Rangoon has
been distributing essential supplies to
towns such as Labutta and nearby villages
which were badly affected, and HF is also
preparing a shipment of essential supplies
to Burma. Please keep donating to help us
get more aid to the region.
15th
May 2008 - HF start to reach refugees in
Burma
Humanity First have started working with our local teams in Burma to provide assistance to the poor refugees of Cyclone Nargis. This week, small teams were able to reach a number of villages in the districts of Laputta and Myaung Mya and have been able to distribute medical aid and also clothing to people living in the open air.
In the meantime, the Burmese authorities are helping us plan medical operations and we have a team of doctors on standby awaiting approval to start work. HF are very grateful to our partners such as B Braun, AquaBoxes and others that have donated over 500 litres of saline fluids, over 1000 IV cannulae, antibiotics and water filtration boxes. A shipment of essential items is also being prepared. Donations have been coming in steadily, but we need greater assistance so please donate online
14th May 2008
Over 10 days since Cyclone Nargis struck Burma, and still the authorities are struggling to get to the worst affected villages in the delta region. The latest official figures show 34,000 dead, 28,000 missing and over a million displaced and in danger. The ongoing wet weather and the danger of a further cyclone has added to the terrible situation. Many survivors are on the move and living without any shelter from the elements, or access to medical attention or clean water. Away from the city, access to food has been erratic, and there have been several instances of desparate people fighting over scraps.
Humanity First has been raising funds, and has also been delighted at the way resources such as medication, plasma and other supplies have been made available from kind donors and partners. Further supplies are likely to be procured nearer to Burma where they are widely available and can be purchased more economically.
The Myanmar authorities have been co-operating in making preparations for a team of HF doctors to be deployed there in the next few days. Humanity First is liaising with the UN and other NGOs to share information and intelligence, and to ensure that once the main releif effort begins, it is co-ordinated, consistent and effective.
8th May 2008 Update:
On Saturday, Cyclone Nargis, a Category III Cyclone, hit Burma and devastated villages in the Irrawaddy delta areas as well as the capital Yangon (Rangoon). As with previous such disasters, it will take time to fully assimilate the scale of the disasters as many of the villages are now remote and hard to get to, but official figures put the deathtoll at 22,464, with a further 41,000 missing.
In many villages, reports suggest that 30% of the population have perished and many more are injured. Over a million people are now believed to be homeless, many of them young children. They lack shelter, medication, food and clean water, and require urgent assistance. The Burmese authorities have declared five regions Yangon, Bago, Kayin, Ayeyarwady and Mon as disaster areas.
Humanity First are investigating the best method of getting aid to those desperate people as quickly as possible which is likely to entail working with local partners. In the meantime, we are collecting funds in order to respond rapidly as soon as plans have been finalised.
More details will be provided on the website as soon as we have confirmed activities. |
