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USAID Responds to Cyclone Nargis

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

May 16, 2008

Photo Gallery: USAID Administrator Delivers Aid to Burma and Announces an Additional $13 Million in Humanitarian Assistance

• On May 16, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) flew two C-130 sorties transporting USAID relief commodities from Utapao, Thailand, to Rangoon. The flights, valued at approximately $110,800 excluding transport, delivered a total of 240 rolls of plastic sheeting, which will serve 12,000 people; 2,880 hygiene kits, which will serve 14,400 people for two weeks; and 4,800 water containers, which will serve 9,600 people. The supplies were consigned to two non-governmental organization (NGO) partners.
• To date, the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) and DOD have completed 15 airlifts of U.S. emergency relief commodities from Utapao to Rangoon. In addition, on May 16 DOD flew two C-130 sorties transporting Thai relief commodities to Rangoon.
• The USAID/DART remains in Bangkok and Utapao coordinating U.S. Government (USG) humanitarian assistance and awaiting Government of Burma (GOB) approval to enter Burma.

Humanitarian Assistance Fact Sheets

05/16/08: Fact Sheet #9 (pdf, 50kb)
05/16/08: Map #9 (pdf, 2.2mb )

FY 2008 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED TO DATE

USAID/OFDA Assistance to Burma:     $5,508,346
USAID/FFP Assistance to Burma:     $12,000,000
DOD Assistance to Burma:     $419,900 Total USG Humanitarian Assistance to Burma:     $17,928,246

CURRENT SITUATION

• The cyclone severely affected approximately 1.6 million to 2.5 million people, and estimates of cyclone-related deaths range from approximately 63,000 to more than 101,000, with approximately 220,000 people reported missing, according to OCHA. As of May 16, the GOB had raised the official death toll from Cyclone Nargis to more than 77,700. The GOB also reported that more than 55,900 people remain missing, according to media reports.
• According to OCHA, families displaced by the cyclone continue to migrate in search of food, safe drinking water, and shelter. Preliminary estimates suggest that more than 550,000 people in Ayeyarwady and Rangoon divisions are sheltering in temporary settlements. Aid agencies are in the process of mapping the specific locations and tracking the numbers of people in each site in order to provide humanitarian assistance.
• On May 16, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) summarized challenges to the relief operation: limited communication; few transportation options; unknown local procurement capacity; and limited information on beneficiaries and distribution end points.

  Humanitarian Access

• According to IFRC, humanitarian needs assessments with the participation of international staff members are limited to Rangoon city and the surrounding areas. IFRC noted that due to a number of factors, international agencies have not yet reached and are unlikely to reach many affected areas to distribute supplies.

  Logistics

• Monsoon season, which lasts from approximately May through October, will pose significant logistical challenges for relief operations. OCHA reported that due to seasonal flooding, the GOB may close the road to Labutta township, Ayeyarwady Division, during the rainy season, inhibiting road transport of relief commodities. The closure is not linked to the disaster, as the GOB reportedly regularly closes the road during the rainy season. In addition, trucking of supplies is expected to cease as monsoon season enters its peak in June.

  Health

• The U.N. Health Cluster is coordinating the establishment of a surveillance and outbreak response system, strengthening the ability of health facilities to function effectively, and ensuring the provision of health kits for emergency and trauma care.
• According to the cluster, U.N. and NGO health staff are focusing medical care on displaced populations residing in relief shelters. The affected people living in temporary shelters are at high risk due to overcrowded conditions, a lack of cooking facilities, and an absence of personal hygiene and sanitation items.
• To facilitate detection and confirmation of disease outbreak, the cluster is coordinating the delivery of 500 dengue test kits and two cholera kits with equipment for 100 samples each.

  Food Security and Agriculture

• As of May 15, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) had distributed 274.1 metric tons (MT) of food, including rice, high-energy biscuits, and beans, to nearly 72,000 beneficiaries. WFP reported that it would need to move 390 MT of food daily in order to reach the 700,000 people targeted for food assistance in the coming 30 days.
• The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) anticipates a significant shortfall in rice production in the Ayeyarwady Delta unless farmers can plant the main 2008 rice crop in June, the organization reported on May 14. FAO noted that the five most cyclone-affected states and divisions produce 65 percent of Burma's rice.

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/DART and immediately provided $250,000 to the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), WFP, and Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for emergency food, water and sanitation, and shelter 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.
• From May 12 to 16, the USAID/DART and DOD coordinated the delivery of more than $510,000 of USAID/OFDA commodities to Rangoon on 15 DOD C-130 flights.
• U.S. Navy ships deployed in the region for training exercises can be redirected, if necessary to support relief efforts. The U.S. Military continues to make plans to support potential relief operations to Burma.

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