Photo: Eva Pineda Hansen, DCA/ACT
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is readying to provide emergency assistance to survivors of the devastating cyclone in Myanmar that killed more than 22,000 people and left thousands more missing.
Tropical Cyclone Nargis, a storm with winds of 190 kph (120 mph), hit the Irrawaddy delta over the weekend. The Irrawaddy Delta is the rice bowl for the impoverished Southeast Asian country of 53 million.
News reports indicate that three-quarters of structures in the region were destroyed by fierce winds, rain and storm surge. The number of casualties could rise to as many as 10,000 - 13,000 as authorities are able to reach hard-hit islands and remote villages.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance will respond as a member of ecumenical partnerships, working with Action by Churches Together (ACT) and Church World Service (CWS). Immediate relief operations are underway with an ongoing comprehensive assessment. The CWS Asia Regional Office is in direct contact with the Myanmar Council of Churches, and ACT member DanChurchAid (DCA) is also gathering information. DCA reports that 80 to 95 percent of all the houses in the slum areas and in the villages around the capital have been razed to the ground. People are desperate, with tens of thousands in need of shelter.
Profiteering is already starting to grip those coping in the storm's aftermath, with prices on food, fuel and building supplies shooting up 300 percent. The General Secretary of the Myanmar Council of Churches reports that communication abilities throughout Burma have been compromised.
ACT member Christian Aid is also monitoring the situation closely and has set aside an emergency grant for immediate relief once permission has been granted for access to the country.
The Presbyterian Church of Myanmar is primarily located in the Northwest part of the country and is not directly affected. There is one Presbyterian church in Yangon.
PDA stands ready to respond once needs are identified and an appeal has been issued.
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