Myanmar – six months on from the devastating cyclone

3 November 2008

As soon as I was in the Irrawaddy Delta (the region hardest hit by the cyclone) I was struck by the work that has already been done. It is hard to believe that such a devastating disaster took place here but with blown down trees and submerged boats there are many reminders as you travel around the region.

According to the UN, the cyclone killed 84,530 people with 53,836 remaining missing. When meeting people it is hard to imagine the horrors they have seen and I found people understandably hesitant to talk about what had happened. I visited a village called Kve Tha Lin Kone that was made up of 138 households – after the cyclone only four houses were left standing.

It was really positive for me to meet the farmers who, though they lost all their crops six months ago, are now planning to harvest the rice paddies that CARE provided seeds and tools for. I was also delighted to see so many of the massive clay pots that CARE with the Department for International Development (Dfid) provided so that people had access to clean, safe water, being used at almost every house we passed.

In the six months since CARE began its emergency response, 500 CARE staff dedicated to the recovery effort has reached:

• 288,468 people
• 61,654 households
• 214 villages

Total emergency relief items distributed:

• 34,163 family kits
• 8,480 blankets
• 13,446 bars of soap
• Over 3000 metric tones of rice
• 238 litres of cooking oil
• 40 metric tonnes of salt
• 20,1439 bamboo poles
• 24,099 shelter kits
• 7,233 tool kits

CARE is continuing to distribute food, water and other basic humanitarian relief items in six Townships. However, the focus of CARE’s work has begun to shift towards medium to long-term recovery plans which will assist with livelihood redevelopment.