Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar

On 2 May 2008, cyclone Nargis hit the coast of Myanmar and devastated large parts of the low-lying delta region of the Irrawaddy River. The storm ripped through Myanmar’s capital, Yangon for over ten hours. A majority of the 40 townships in Yangon and seven townships in the Irrawaddy Delta are listed as disaster zones with up to 2.5 million people affected by this tragedy. According to UN News Centre, more than 130,000 are listed as dead or missing.

Homes and many buildings were damaged or destroyed, power and communication lines were downed. In rural parts of the country, up to 95 per cent of all homes were destroyed.

The Caritas Confederation’s response to the Cyclone tragedy is handled by a team based in the Caritas Asia Regional Office in Bangkok. This team is supporting the “Myanmar Disaster Relief Committee” (MDRC) established by the local Church under the leadership of Archbishop Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, to bring relief to the affected areas. Catholic missionaries in the affected areas have also set up disaster relief camps to take in victims of the disasters, providing them with shelter, water and whatever food that is available.

The Church initiated a collection for the Disaster Aid Fund in the weekend of 10/11 May. To date, more than $774,629 has been raised for Cyclone Nargis victims.

The projects that ACCT has funded to date are:

Mercy Relief (immediate relief work)
 

$10,000
 

Myanmar Disaster Relief Committee  (relief and rehabilitation work)
 

$300,000
 

Society of Jesus (Rehabilitation and Reconstruction work)
 

$210,000
 

Myanmar Family Commission (training of counsellors to provide Grief
 and Trauma Counselling to surviving victims)
 

$85,000
 

Religious Congregations (immediate relief and rehabilitation)
 

$90,000
 

See ACCT/CSCC communiqué for other Catholic responses to Myanmar situation.