International Medical Corps Deploying Emergency Response Team for Victims of Myanmar Cyclone

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Photo: REUTERS/Stringer A boy plays in front of his home destroyed by cyclone Nargis at a Myanmar town of Bogalay, southwest of Yangon May 8, 2008.

International Medical Corps (IMC) is mobilizing resources to respond with emergency relief to the survivors of Cyclone Nargis that hit Myanmar last weekend. The government has raised its death toll estimate to over 22,000 but the top U.S. diplomat in the country has said it could exceed 100,000. More than 40,000 are still missing. Those figures would make this cyclone the worst natural disaster in Asia since the 2004 tsunami. The U.N. World Food Program estimates that up to one million people are homeless. IMC is identifying the most immediate needs of the cyclone victims, primarily the lack of vital resources like clean water and food, and how best to deliver them to those most in need.

International Medical Corps is deploying an emergency response team that will help address urgent health needs as well as distribute medical supplies, water purification tablets, sanitation items and hygiene kits. IMC has identified local partners through which it will channel its assistance during the initial stages of the response. With many of Myanmar’s roads impassable due to flooding and debris, IMC is also working to identify logistical supply lines to the hardest hit areas.

“The magnitude of this disaster demands immediate and massive humanitarian assistance for the people of Myanmar,” says Nancy Aossey, President & CEO of International Medical Corps. “We are only beginning to grasp the full scope of this catastrophe and each hour that passes without needs being addressed can literally mean the difference between life and death.”

Photo: REUTERS/Stringer People stay under their house after cyclone Nargis hit the town of Phyar Pon near Bogalay, southwest of Yangon May 8, 2008.

Without shelter, food, and clean water, people are more exposed to diarrheal illnesses and parasitic infections. In the case of tropical storms, the risk of dengue fever and malaria also rises, as flooding not only increases the number of mosquito breeding grounds, but also their proximity to people.

International Medical Corps has been building local disaster response capacity in the region, specifically in Indonesia, since the 2004 Tsunami, and is planning its response in coordination with longstanding Indonesian emergency response partners.

The worst natural disaster in Myanmar in decades, the 10-hour storm packed winds up to 130 miles per hour. It pummeled five areas, including its largest city, Rangoon, and its rice-growing region, the Irrawaddy Delta. With six states declared disaster zones, the government has established an emergency committee headed by the Prime Minister and has asked the international community for help in its relief effort. After destroying much of its agriculture, the cyclone is also likely to increase Myanmar’s food insecurity in a time of rising food costs.

Since its inception nearly 25 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning devastated populations to self-reliance. For more information visit our website at www.imcworldwide.org.