ATLANTA (May 8, 2008) - CARE today supplied bottles of water, water purification tablets and water storage units to approximately 10,000 survivors sheltering in Pagodas and schools in Myanmar's South Dagon and Thaketa townships in Yangon, one of the areas most affected by Cyclone Nargis. Yesterday, the humanitarian organization delivered rice to the same communities. CARE is also working to clean wells and make toilets serviceable in order to avert the spread of waterborne diseases, such as cholera, which has already been reported.
CARE is scaling up its response and will be providing assistance to about 250,000 people (50,000 families) in the Irrawaddy Delta in the coming days.
"We are assembling emergency supplies, including 50,000 family kits, in Bangkok and plan to fly them in as soon as they are ready," says Rigoberto Giron, CARE USA emergency director. "These include blankets, jerry cans, plastic sheeting, clothes, and kitchen and hygiene items. We're optimistic that we'll get an early delivery."
The immediate needs are basic shelter, food and water; however, it will take far longer for survivors to recover from the devastating cyclone.
"The magnitude of this disaster requires a plan that goes beyond immediate emergency response," adds Giron. "As assessments continue we expect the need for aid will increase. The devastation demands that we look at the big picture – what it will take to rebuild the hardest hit areas and ensure that survivors regain their livelihoods over the long term."
The cyclone struck Myanmar's main rice-growing area, flooding 5,000 square kilometer (1,930 square miles) of farmland. Reports from the country suggest that rice stocks and seeds for the current planting season may have been lost; raising concerns about the impact this will have on the country's long-term recovery.
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Atlanta: Lurma Rackley, CARE USA,
lrackley@care.org, (404) 979-9450
Atlanta: Alina Labrada, CARE USA,
labrada@care.org, (404) 979-9383, (404) 457-4644
