Cyclone Nargis - Myanmar OCHA Situation Report Number 12

Description: 

SITUATION IN MYANMAR: 1. Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on 2 and 3 May 2008, making landfall in Ayeyarwady Division and directly hitting the country?s largest city, Yangon. 40 townships in Yangon Division and 7 townships in Ayeyarwady Division remain on the Government?s list of disaster areas.... 2. Assessment teams have reported major damage in affected areas, particularly the low-lying Ayeyawady (Irrawaddy) delta region, where the Cyclone?s impact was compounded by a storm surge. The official death toll now stands at 78,000 with 56,000 missing. Unofficial estimates are considerably higher. Based on the original Government figure of 975,858 persons affected three days after the disaster in the eight most seriously hit townships, the UN now estimates that between 1.5 and 2 million people have been severely affected.... 3. Food, shelter, medical supplies and water are all critical needs. There is a growing risk of an outbreak of infectious disease among affected populations. The early rehabilitation of the agricultural sector has also been identified as being crucial, as the affected area is central to Myanmar?s rice industry. People have been migrating outwards from the most affected areas in search of basic necessities. Early estimates suggest that temporary settlements may now be sheltering over 550,000 people in Ayeyarwady and Yangon Divisions. Agencies on the ground are in the process of mapping the locations of these sites and the numbers of people in each. Affected areas have experienced heavy rainfall in recent days, which is predicted to continue with the onset of the monsoon.... 4. Relief flights continue to land at Yangon International Airport, and the Government and humanitarian partners are reaching an increasing number of affected persons. However, the levels of aid getting in to the country remain far below what is required to meet the needs on the ground. There is also concern that a logistical bottleneck may be developing in Yangon.

Source/publisher: 

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Date of Publication: 

2008-05-16

Date of entry: 

2008-06-03

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  • Individual Documents

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Language: 

English

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pdf

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