International Rescue Committee (IRC)

International Rescue Committee Mobilizes More Emergency Teams for Myanmar; Warns of Massive Health Disaster Unless Aid Reaches Cyclone Survivors Fast

International Rescue Committee emergency team members have arrived in Myanmar and four additional teams are on standby for deployment to the region as the IRC prepares for a possible outbreak of water-borne diseases in cyclone-ravaged villages.

“Nearly all homes were destroyed in the villages I assessed today and the survivors have virtually no access to clean drinking water,” says the IRC’s emergency coordinator, Gordon Bacon, speaking from Yangon. “With each passing day, we come closer to a massive health disaster and a second wave of deaths that is potentially larger than the first.”

In addition to aid workers mounting relief efforts on the ground, the IRC has medical, water, sanitation, operations and logistics experts already in the region or ready to be dispatched to Myanmar as soon as aid corridors open up.

The IRC has emergency stocks in Dubai ready for shipment and is procuring cholera kits, emergency health kits and water treatment supplies to position in Thailand.

“Everything hinges on access,” says Greg Beck, the IRC’s Thailand-based Asia regional director. “Unless there’s a massive and fast infusion of aid, experts and supplies into the hardest-hit areas, there’s going to be a tragedy at an unimaginable scale.”

How You Can Help

The IRC is accepting contributions to support emergency relief programs and long-term recovery assistance in Myanmar. Donations in the U.S. can be made by clicking here or calling 1-877-REFUGEE (1-877-733-8433), and in the UK and Europe, by calling 44 020 7692 2735 or visiting www.IRCuk.org.

Learn More

Read our new Myanmar blog for photos and updates from IRC emergency teams

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