International Rescue Committee (IRC)
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IRC Supplies Reach Far West of Myanmar

Yangon, Myanmar - 23 May 2008 -   More than 11 tons of plastic sheeting, water containers and health and hygiene supplies were loaded onto small trucks and boats today and began a journey into storm-devastated villages in the most western townships of Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Delta.

The goods, donated by USAID, are to be distributed in the coming days by a team of International Rescue Committee and Myanmar Red Cross workers to communities severely impacted by Cyclone Nargis.

In the meantime, the IRC team in Myanmar expects to receive a shipment of five million water purification tablets and 12 water treatment units tomorrow, which will treat water for more than 100,000 people for a period of one month.   The supplies were donated by Muslim Aid and Global Medic, which are also sending the IRC more than $1 million dollars of antibiotics and other vital medicines on a flight scheduled to arrive in Yangon early next week.

The IRC and its partners will be delivering the medical supplies to clinics and hospitals in cyclone-ravaged districts.

An additional 10 tons of IRC’s pre-positioned emergency stocks, stored in Dubai, are expected to arrive in Yangon tomorrow.  The goods include urgently needed blankets, plastic sheeting and water treatment supplies.

“We are working with committed volunteers and partners to make sure these goods are getting to people who desperately need them,” says Shannon McGuire, IRC emergency operations coordinator.  “Little by little, these emergency supplies are making an impact.”

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