OCHA Situation Report No. 18
Myanmar: Cyclone Nargis
22 May 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

This situation report is based on information received by the clusters, 
whose partners include UN Agencies, national and international NGOs, the 
Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and IOM.

HIGHLIGHTS

1. The UN Secretary General today arrived in Myanmar. He was able to 
witness cyclonedevastated areas and visited temporary relief tented camps. 
He met with the Prime Minister of Myanmar, the Foreign Minister and the UN 
Country Team. He also paid his respects at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.

2. An independent source estimates that 110,000 persons are living in 
temporary settlements in 14 townships. Of these, 70% are sheltering in 
monasteries, 28% in public buildings and 2% in tented camps. The highest 
numbers of homeless people in temporary settlements are in Labutta 
(34,000), Bogale (15,500), Myaungmya (12,000) and Pyapon (9,700) townships 
in Ayeyarwady, and Kungyangon township (20,000) in Yangon Division.

3. Five international medical teams are now providing medical care to 
those in need and support to national health-care staff in the affected 
areas of Ayeyarwady and Yangon Divisions. The Thai team is in Myaungmya, 
the Indian team in Bogale and Pyapon, the Chinese team in Kungyangon and 
Dedaye, the Bangladeshi team in Wakema and the Lao team in Kyauktan. The 
sixth team, from Singapore, is expected to arrive today.

4. The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement ? which is 
spearheading the national relief response ? approved the Food Cluster 
Response Plan that delineates the geographical coverage and beneficiary 
numbers for cluster partners.

5. The Director General of the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) invited 
representatives from UNICEF, Save the Children and World Vision on 21 May 
to discuss Child Protection issues in response to the impact of Cyclone 
Nargis. All partners agreed that the principle of family unity and 
community-based care and support for all children, should be the 
foundation for any strategy and action plan for children. The Department 
asked UNICEF to lead a national action plan for child protection in 
emergencies in partnership and with the direct involvement of DSW. A 
taskforce has been formed with representatives from DSW, UNICEF, Save the 
Children and World Vision. DSW will liaise with the Minister and higher 
officials in this regard.

6. The logistics cluster is now operating a 4,000 square metre warehouse 
in Yangon (managed by DHL), along with a fleet of 30 trucks, four barges 
(200-800 MT) with four barge pushers, and two boats (300 and 600 MT). In 
five local hubs, (Pyapon, Bogale, Mawlamyinegyun, Labutta and Pathein) six 
Mobile Storage Units have been or are being constructed.

7. There has been no update to the official figures for dead and missing. 
77,738 are reported dead and 55,917 missing.

Attachments:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments?openagent&docid=61B1FD7C6DDFF615852574510053F285&file=Full_Report.pdf



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