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USAID Responds to Cyclone Nargis
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
July 9, 2008
- USAID/OFDA is supporting agricultural and livelihoods recovery activities through Church World Service (CWS).
Working with an implementing partner organization, CWS will build the capacity of the local communities to ensure
the food security of approximately 16,900 cyclone-affected farm households and improve the household incomes
nearly 44,000 landless households in affected areas.
- On July 8, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) released a revised appeal for
approximately $72.5 million to support the Myanmar (Burma) Red Cross Society (MRCS) in providing assistance to
100,000 households in affected areas over the next three years. The U.N. is scheduled to release a revised appeal on
July 10.
Humanitarian Assistance Fact Sheets
07/09/08: Fact Sheet #24 (pdf, 57kb)
07/09/08: Map #24 (pdf, 577kb )
Tropical Cyclone Nargis, a Category 4 storm, was located off the coast of Pagoda Point, Burma, with sustained winds of 130 mph and gusts up to 160 mph.
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| ESTIMATED NUMBERS AT A GLANCE* | SOURCE |
|---|
| Total Dead | 84,537 | GOB1 – June 24, 2008 |
| 63,000-101,000 | OCHA2 – May 9, 2008 |
| Total Missing | 53,836 | GOB – June 24, 2008 |
| Total Number Affected | 2.4 million | OCHA – May 29, 2008 |
FY 2008 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED TO DATE
USAID/OFDA Assistance to Burma: $25,769,547
USAID/FFP3 Assistance to Burma: $12,000,000
DOD4 Assistance to Burma: $9,475,900
Total USG Humanitarian Assistance to Burma: $47,245,447
1 Government of Burma (GOB)
2 U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
3 USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP)
4 U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
CURRENT SITUATION
- According to OCHA, an estimated 2.4 million people were severely affected by Cyclone Nargis, equivalent to more
than one third of the population of 7.3 million in the affected townships.
- To date, MRCS staff and volunteers have reached more than 500,000 beneficiaries, providing safe drinking water,
food assistance, and other relief items. MCRS reported that 80 percent of the beneficiaries are in the Ayeyarwady
Delta, and 10,000 to 15,000 people are being reached each day. IFRC estimates that as many as 10,000 MRCS
volunteers are active in the relief efforts at any given time.
Early Recovery
- From July 1 to 3, a USAID/OFDA disaster specialist and staff from the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon conducted an
assessment of three villages in Bogale township. Residents indicted that capital to restart livelihoods was the highest
priority need.
- As of July 7, the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) continues to implement follow-up activities in the 250 villages
identified and covered during Phase I of the early recovery Basic Services Package (BSP), reaching approximately
114,000 cyclone-affected individuals. UNDP indicated that Phase II of the BSP will cover an additional 500 villages.
- USAID/OFDA is focusing on livelihoods interventions to provide quick access to income and employment for
affected populations. USAID/OFDA is supporting non-governmental organization (NGO) partners including CWS
and ACTED to implement early recovery activities for cyclone-affected populations in Ayeyarwady and Rangoon
divisions. The programs will assist vulnerable communities to resume agricultural activities prior to the upcoming
planting season, as well as providing employment opportunities and rehabilitating basic infrastructure in affected
communities.
Health and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)
- On July 3, the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) reported a decline in the number of diarrhea cases in
Ayeyarwady and Rangoon divisions, but noted that health cluster partners have reported two cases of dengue
hemorrhagic fever (DHF), including one death, in cyclone-affected areas.
- In response to the first death from DHF since the establishment of the disease early warning and surveillance system,
the health cluster will likely intensify larviciding efforts for vector control. WHO continues to work closely with the
GOB Ministry of Health (MOH) to control and prevent vector diseases. USAID/OFDA has provided $500,000
through WHO to support the health cluster early warning and surveillance system. USAID/OFDA has also provided
support to health partner MENTOR for a vector disease control and prevention program in Ayeyarwady Division.
- According to preliminary findings of the Post Nargis Joint Assessment Village Tract Assessment, 58 percent of
surveyed households identified access to safe drinking water as a priority humanitarian need. In response, the
humanitarian community has deployed 29 of the 50 water treatment units currently in Burma to affected areas and
continues to train local staff. The U.N. WASH Cluster continues to monitor the usage of the units for changing needs.
- According to the U.N. WASH Cluster, rainwater continues to remain the primary source of drinking water in the
majority of affected areas. The U.N. WASH Cluster is encouraging rainwater harvesting through the rainy season or
until cluster partners and villagers complete pond rehabilitation across affected areas.
- As of July 7, U.N. WASH Cluster partners and villagers had rehabilitated more than 350 ponds throughout affected
areas. In remaining areas, the cluster continues to distribute disinfectants for use with all water sources and plans to
disseminate water pumping instructions to supplement the current pond rehabilitation guidelines. The cluster has
previously noted the role of water disinfectants in preventing a high incidence of diarrhea in affected areas.
Logistics
- On July 3, a USAID/OFDA disaster specialist accompanied U.N. World Food Program (WFP) logistics personnel to
the Port of Rangoon to assess capacity to accept deliveries of emergency relief commodities from Bangkok. The
disaster specialist noted that the port has sufficient capacity to accept commercial deliveries by humanitarian
organizations once the U.N. Logistics Cluster ends operations on August 10. The USAID/OFDA disaster specialist
also reported that cluster barge operations are operating efficiently.
- According to the U.N. Logistics Cluster, as the result of continued rains, rivers are rising and flood planes are
becoming hard to access even by small boats, especially in the southwest of the affected area. An increasing number
of locations may become inaccessible to all but helicopter transport. The U.N. Logistics Cluster will discuss plans for
air transport with all organizations distributing relief goods to these regions.
- WFP has received GOB authorization to position fuel at the Bogale and Labutta logistics hubs. The availability of
fuel at two out of five hubs substantially increases the number of helicopter rotations per day and allows the logistics
cluster to fulfill the majority of current helicopter cargo movement requests despite the fleet reduction from 10 to 5
helicopters. To date, the helicopters have distributed approximately 710 metric tons (MT) of food and other relief
supplies for U.N. agencies and NGOs to 101 remote locations.
- The larger of the two aircraft constituting the airbridge from Bangkok to Rangoon remains grounded due to technical
problems, but will reportedly resume operations by July 10. The airbridge is currently operating at reduced capacity,
with the smaller Antonov-12 flying only two cargo flights per day. To date, the cluster reports that 1,731 MT of cargo
remains in the cluster warehouse at Dong Muang airport in Bangkok or en route.
USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
- On May 5, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Shari Villarosa declared a disaster in Burma due to the effects of Cyclone Nargis.
In response, USAID/OFDA deployed a USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team and immediately provided
$250,000 to U.N. agencies for shelter and water and sanitation assistance.
- On May 6, an additional $3 million from USAID/OFDA was allocated for the provision of emergency relief
assistance, including $1 million to the American Red Cross and $2 million for NGO partners.
- On May 12, USAID Administrator Henrietta H. Fore announced $13 million in food aid and logistics assistance
through WFP.
- On June 5, USAID/OFDA allocated an additional $8.1 million for relief efforts, funding U.N. and NGO partners
working in the affected areas to implement programs in nine sectors, including emergency health, shelter, livelihoods,
and water, sanitation, and hygiene programs. The programs aim to benefit more than 1 million people.
- To date, USAID/OFDA-provided emergency relief commodities have reached more than 445,000 beneficiaries.
- On June 18, USAID/OFDA contributed an additional $3 million in support of WFP logistics operations.
- As of July 9, USAID/OFDA is providing more than $6 million to NGO partners to implement early recovery and
livelihoods programs in cyclone-affected areas.
- From May 12 to June 22, the DOD-operated U.S. Government air bridge completed 185 airlifts and delivered more
than $4 million of USAID/OFDA emergency relief supplies, as well as DOD, U.N., NGO, and Government of
Thailand commodities.
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