OCHA Situation Report No. 12
Myanmar: Cyclone Nargis
17 May 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

This situation report is based on information received from the UN 
Resident Coordinator's Office, Myanmar, UN agencies, UNDAC, regional 
humanitarian partners and media sources.

I. 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.


II. NATIONAL RESPONSE

5. No updates.

Attachments:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments?openagent&docid=F0CB19EE807698328525744B00760852&file=Full_Report.pdf



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