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Relief ministries begin arriving in Burma

Tuesday, 13 May 2008

 

Various ministries now have staff members on the ground in Myanmar (Burma) in response to the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Nargis which swept through the country on Saturday, May 3, affecting what the U.N. estimates to be 1 million people.

Heavy flooding and rains continue to displace people, increasing the number of survivors that need immediate shelter and clean water. This is the worst disaster to strike Southeast Asia since the tsunami in December 2004. A state of emergency has been declared across five regions of Myanmar.

The capital city, Yangon, is in the Irrawaddy Delta which took a direct hit from Cyclone Nargis. A 12-foot storm surge swept away entire towns and villages. Many of the survivors reside in Myanmar’s poorest provinces where most families live on less than the equivalent of US$1 a day.

Water Missions International (WMI) is preparing 44 water purification systems for immediate deployment to aid survivors. The 44 Living Water Treatment Systems have been requested from other organizations, including World Vision, Operation Blessing and Samaritan’s Purse. The first systems are to be ready for transport on Friday. Each water system treats up to 10 gallons of water per minute (approximately 10,000 gallons per day) and supports communities of up to 3,000 people.

Two Samaritan’s Purse s relief workers in Yangon are water and sanitation experts. Water sources have been contaminated -- not just by saltwater, but also by the thousands of human bodies and animal carcasses, many of them floating in the water. Samson Jeyakumar of World Vision spoke of a “very narrow window of opportunity to ensure people have access to potable drinking water and sanitation. Disease outbreaks spread by dirty water, poor sanitation and mosquitoes are a major concern.”

A Samaritan’s Purse worker received reports from a partner that “more than 60 villages were completely wiped out in the delta region.” He added that some are predicting the death toll to exceed 100,000 -- almost five times more than government estimate of 22,000. According to news reports, as many as 70,000 people are missing in the delta that was hard hit. The official government figure for the missing is 41,000.

Randy Hurst, an area leader with Assemblies of God World Missions, has been in Myanmar for four days to assist churches and assess needs. “So far 17 Assemblies of God churches have been confirmed destroyed with dozens more located in isolated areas devastated by the cyclone,” he said. Church leaders expect at least 50 churches were destroyed.

The denomination plans to send specialists into the area along with a crisis response specialist to work with leaders. The specialists will assist in relief planning with an initial focus on water purification.

While cargo planes are not yet cleared for landing in Myanmar, World Vision has been able to set up several local distributions for basic needs such as rice, water and blankets. Jeyakumar said helping children to overcome emotional trauma must also be a priority.

Covenant World Relief maintains funds in a reserve account with World Relief International, allowing the agency to respond immediately to crises anywhere in the world. In catastrophic events, additional funds are sought to support the Covenant World Relief response.

With roads blocked by thousands of uprooted trees, no electricity in many areas, tens of thousands missing, and hundreds of thousands left homeless with no clean drinking water, the situation for many is simply survival. But Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has farther reaching concerns, noting that a planned referendum on a Myanmar’s new constitution has only been postponed in the country’s worst-hit areas.

“The referendum is due to be held on Saturday, May 10, and is the first opportunity the people of Myanmar have had to vote since Aung Sang Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy won the elections eighteen years ago,” said a CSW spokesperson.

Sitting barely above sea level in Southeast Asia, Myanmar shares borders with China, Laos, Thailand, Bangladesh and India. It has nearly 1,200 miles of uninterrupted coastline facing the Bay of Bengal.

Sources: Assist News Service, Samaritan’s Purse, World Vision, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Assemblies of God News, Covenant News, Christian Newswire