MYANMAR/THAILAND: Half-a-million cyclone survivors in Myanmar still live in makeshift shelters--Red Cross
Record ID:
1537189
MYANMAR/THAILAND: Half-a-million cyclone survivors in Myanmar still live in makeshift shelters--Red Cross
- Title: MYANMAR/THAILAND: Half-a-million cyclone survivors in Myanmar still live in makeshift shelters--Red Cross
- Date: 1st May 2009
- Summary: YANGON, MYANMAR (FILE - MAY 3, 2008) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WINDS BLOWING OFF ROOF OF BUILDING PART OF A ROOF BEING TORN OFF U KHIN HLAING, IRRAWADDY DELTA, MYANMAR (FILE - MAY 9, 2008) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DAMAGED VILLAGE VARIOUS OF DAMAGED HOUSE
- Embargoed: 16th May 2009 15:50
- Keywords:
- Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes,Social Services / Welfare
- Reuters ID: LVADIQJZ7ETQWXWS0S3VZADGCFCK
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Thousands of survivors in Myanmar are struggling to survive and many still live in temporary shelters, after Cyclone Nargis devastated the Irrawaddy Delta last May, killing 134,000 and left 2.4 million homeless.
Almost a year after the Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, thousands of survivors who lost their livelihood struggle to survive as they live in temporary shelters.
Some 500,000 survivors are stuck in makeshift shelters cobbled together with bamboo poles and fraying tarpaulin, primarily due to a lack of money, according to the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC).
The bamboo shacks with plastic sheets have been dotted along the shore of the Irrawaddy Delta since the deadly storm on May 2 last year.
Given the difficulty of reaching the remote area, only 17,000 new homes have been built, according to United Nations estimates, while another 200,000 have been repaired by their owners.
Shelters are a major concern with the tropical monsoon season only weeks away, as many of the rebuilt shelters are substandard and will be unable to withstand another cyclone.
Almost a year after the disaster, many are still suffering from their loss.
"I wouldn't say they're back to normal right now. It's only one year and you have to see shelter is only one part, it's just not fully recovered so they still live in makeshift houses and places. We have the psychological part but also the way how do they can earn money has not been recovered. The livelihood are not back to the people," said Bernd Schell, head of the Red Cross delegation in Myanmar.
Aid groups are trying to fill the gap before the monsoon rains drench the delta, the rice bowl of the former Burma.
The Red Cross plans to handout tarpaulins in May and June to 30,000 families in the delta, and CARE Myanmar says it will spend close to $2 million U.S. dollars on shelter aid until next June.
Many people have started to grow vegetables in their backyards to avoid starvation.
"Before the Cyclone Nargis, we were fine. Nowadays, we face many difficulties. Now we don't even have enough food," said Myint Khin.
A "money for work" programme is also being implemented by aid groups to help survivors earn money and continue living their lives and pay their debts, and be able to rebuild the standard houses to survive the next cyclone.
Elderly people have registered with the aid groups like the Red Cross to get a new house as they are unable to work.
Traditional materials like trees and palm leaves are used to build houses, but other stronger material for flooring and columns to make them more resistant to disasters.
Nearly all Nargis survivors received some form of emergency shelter after the storm, including some who were allowed into the junta's "model villages" after the generals were criticised for their slow response to the disaster.
But a year on, donor funding for housing has met only 4 percent of the target, according to the United Nations.
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