By Xinhua,
Yangon : Myanmar’s cyclone resettlement work has got reinforced as 236 million U.S. dollars of donated or pledged international financial aid has been raised, the local-language Myanmar Times reported Friday, quoting UN emergency aid coordinator John Holmes, who is Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.
The UN launched an emergency appeal to world donors late last month for 201 million U.S. dollars.
Meanwhile, a 250-strong aid experts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the UN moved into Myanmar’s cyclone-hit Ayeyawaddy Delta early this week for a 10-day assessment mission on the cyclone damage and the needs of local people.
The first batch of members of the joint ASEAN-UN “Emergency Rapid Assessment Team” flew by helicopters into two main cyclone-hit townships of Labutta and Pyapon.
The team will start assessment for 30 selected townships — 11 in Ayeyawaddy Delta and 19 in Yangon division.
A tripartite core group involving ASEAN, UN and Myanmar has been working to make joint assessment on the impact of Cyclone Nargis that devastated Myanmar in early May.
The Yangon-based tripartite core group was established at an ASEAN-UN international pledging conference held in Yangon late last month as a working mechanism for coordination, facilitating and monitoring the flow of international assistance into Myanmar’s cyclone-hit areas.
Meanwhile, five World Food Program (WFP) helicopters out of 10 were allowed in and have brought rice and other aid supplies to 26 remote villages in Ayeyawaddy delta, the report said.
Moreover, a French ship MV Claudia also brought 600 tons of relief aid supplies including 400 tons of rice for cyclone-hard-hit Bogalay and Mawlamyinegyun in Ayeyawaddy delta last weekend under the WFP program.
State media disclosed that a total of 911 persons from international aid groups and experts were granted visas to enter Myanmar to render humanitarian relief aid, medical care and assessment of damage respectively during a month after the cyclone storm hit the country early last month.
The 911 persons included 458 from the UN and international non-governmental organizations, 357 from ASEAN members and neighboring countries as well as 96 persons to attend ASEAN-UN meeting.
So far, 342 persons have left and 569 are still working in the storm-hit areas.
Myanmar estimated the damages and losses caused by the storm at 10.67 billion U.S. dollars with 5.5 million people affected.
The government also claimed that it has spent up to 70 billion Kyats (63.63 million U.S. dollars) in relief efforts.
Cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states — Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayinon last May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructure damage. The storm has killed 77,738 people and left 55,917 others missing and 19,359 injured according to official death toll.