MYANMAR-FLOODS/AID Aid arrives in Rakhine as parts of Myanmar remains submerged

Record ID: 144982

  • Title: MYANMAR-FLOODS/AID Aid arrives in Rakhine as parts of Myanmar remains submerged
  • Date: 5th August 2015
  • Summary: SITTWE, RAKHINE, MYANMAR (AUGUST 5, 2015) (REUTERS) AID WORKERS UNLOADING RELIEF SUPPLIES FROM MILITARY CARGO PLANE VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS UNLOADING AID SUPPLIES FROM PLANE SOLDIERS CARRYING BOXES OF AID SUPPLY AND WALKING VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS WALKING, CARRYING AID SUPPLIES RESCUERS, POLICE OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS CARRYING AID SUPPLIES AND WALKING AID WORKERS UNLOADING SUPPLIES
  • Embargoed: 20th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Myanmar
  • Country: Myanmar
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA3KSD921WR3MXBWDCVC8O7X902
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
    A plane load of aid arrived on Wednesday (August 5) in Myanmar's Rakhine state, one of the regions hardest hit by recent floods.
    Aid workers are struggling to reach areas in Myanmar hit by floods that have killed 69 people, contaminated water sources and cut off electricity, phone lines, roads and rivers.
    More than 250,000 people have been affected by flooding triggered last week by monsoon rains, according to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.
    In hard-hit Rakhine state in western Myanmar bordering Bangladesh, rains have stopped, allowing for boat travel, and roads are gradually being cleared, according to Plan International.
    According to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which runs several medical programmes in Rakhine, the worst affected townships are Minbya, Mrauk U, Kyauktaw and Buthidaung.
    More than 4,000 displaced people in Minbya have taken shelter in 23 monasteries, MSF said.
    Residents in Maungdaw township north of Sittwe need shelter, said MSF, which was working to get plastic sheeting to the area.
    NGOs, community leaders and authorities have sent water, water purification tablets, blankets, mosquito nets and soap to the displaced.
    The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is providing emergency assistance to flood-affected areas across Myanmar, including Bago, Chin, Magway, Mon, Rakhine and Sagaing.
    The government issued a flood warning for people living in the Ayeyarwady delta in Myanmar's southwest.
    According to the Global New Light of Myanmar, elderly people, women and children were being moved out of dangerous areas.
    Myanmar's Meteorological Department said on Wednesday that some rivers in the region were 2-3.5 feet (.6-1 metre) higher than was safe and water levels were expected to rise another 6 inches (15 cm) in coming days.
    The Ayeyarwady delta is Myanmar's major rice producing area and the United Nations has raised concern over the country's food security.
    According to the Myanma Ahlin newspaper, more than 1.1 million acres (4,451 sq km) of farmland, most of it rice paddies, have been flooded. More than 65,000 acres have been destroyed.
    The government appealed for international aid to bolster relief its efforts on Monday (August 3). U. S Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday the United States would announce an aid package.
    Myanmar's call for international relief marked a major change from 2008 when the then-military government shunned most outside help in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, which killed 130,000 people.
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