Burma Cyclone Relief

HOPE International Development Agency:

The medical team sent by Hope International Development Agency is treating thousands of survivors of Cyclone Nargis, taking their expert skills and medical supplies to some of the worst hit regions along the Irrawaddy Delta.

HIDA's team of 50 health volunteers, including doctors, surgeons and nurses, is now in the Delta. They have travelled in mobile surgical units converted from buses, visiting and assisting clinics. The team has been able to see and treat more than 2000 patients since they arrived Wednesday afternoon, the most common ailments being diarrhoea, skin infections, injuries and respiratory problems. They have also distributed large quantities of water purification supplies to those gathered around the medical clinics. They are accessing supplies from Yangon, travelling back and forth from the city, carrying small quantities at a time for security purposes.

Situation Update:

Latest reports from the UN, based upon estimates from rescue operations in Burma, are projecting that deaths in excess of 100,000 are likely in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. With a further 1.5 million left homeless and some of the most arable land inundated, the crisis is continuing to worsen.

TEAR Australia is working in partnership with World Concern Burma and the HOPE International Development Agency as they provide assistance to affected families. Both of these organisations will support the relief initiatives of other local groups, as each has observed that this gets the assistance where it is most needed and into locations that others may not easily reach.

Their reports are at once alarming due to the magnitude of the situation and encouraging as they have been successful in delivering significant assistance to those in the most affected regions.

The latest communication from HOPE International Development Agency states:

"The post-cyclone situation here is worse than even our previously pessimistic estimates. The total worldwide deaths from the 2004 tsunami reached 220,000 and the total homeless population was 1.5 million. Unofficial but credible estimates here on the ground say that the total numbers of dead and of homeless from the cyclone now exceed those 2004 worldwide tsunami figures. Information trickling in from the villages in the Delta area indicates it is normal for a community to have lost 50-60% of its population by now. It appears that the smaller the village, the larger the percentage of deaths. One member of our team met with the single survivor from a village that used to be home to 100 people. The death rates appear to be higher among women and children than men. Much of this simply has to do with physical strength. Women and children in the Delta were less able to climb and cling to high places during the surges of waves, while men more often had the strength to hang on and survive."

Please Pray:

• Please pray for those delivering support: for the medical team, support staff, pastors of churches, volunteers and those who lead community groups, as they work under conditions of extreme difficulty. Please pray that they will have the strength and health to continue their work and provide assistance to the grieving, the ill and the homeless.
• Please pray for a coordinated response to the assistance efforts as survivors now make their way to camps to receive food and shelter. Pray for safety in the camps, and that support and counselling is also available.
• Please continue to pray for TEAR's Australian Fieldworkers in Yangon - for David Allan, Tamas Wells and David McClintock and their families.

Related Countries:

Burma

Related TEAR Partners:

HOPE International Development Agency