Isolated Islands and Assistance Needs for Nargis Victims

July 24, 2008

Cyclone Nargis and Delay and Lack of Relief Responses

During the Cyclone Nargis stuck into Irrawaddy Division and Rangoon Division, on May 2 and 3, over 130, 000 people died, 80, 000 disappeared, and about the 2.5 millions of people lost their houses and livelihoods as described in many sources and from UN Agencies.

Since the regime, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) responded for the relief and other efforts to the local Nargis victims lately, and restriction against the International Aid Agencies, doubled up the suffering of the people. The cyclone victims for over one week to one month never received any assistance from International Aid Agencies including the UN Agencies.

As in the 3rd of June, only about 230 UN staff received the visa from the SPDC to help hundreds of thousands of victims reported by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It means the number of the relief workers and relief efforts are very limited if compared with the number of victims in effected area. Especially, the cyclone victims those live very far from the heart of cities and Rangoon are always isolated in obtaining assistance.

The relief workers from international agencies and UN agencies always tried to provide assistance to the communities to which they can get assess to easily, those are close to Rangoon and other cities. Normally, the communities in southwestern part of Irrawaddy Division, are always isolated these relief agencies, the communities themselves have to help each other.

Recently in order to know about the situation of the cyclone victims in islands, in which the communities are hardly hit by the front Nargis Cyclone, HURFOM Human Rights Workers traveled to southwestern part of delta area. There are too many island communities in the area and some communities never received any assistance from International Aid or UN agencies.

Isolated Cyclone Nargis Affected Islands in Bassein District

In southern part of Bassein (Pa-thein in Burmese term), there are two main islands, one is Hein-gyi Island and another one is Pyin-kha-yaing Island. (See in the Map) Hein-gyi island has navy base, and the movement of outside people are somehow restricted. A few aid agencies reached to this Island. Therefore, HURFOM HR Workers traveled into Pyin-kha-yaing Island and found that there has been no sufficient assistance for over 20 communities in this Island.

Geographically, Pyin-kha-yaing Island locates on the edge of Irrawaddy Delta area to which Nga-wun river is flowing into. It is between Hein-kyi Island and Luputta Township area, but all villages or communities are in Nga-puu-taw Township. The island was rounded with sea water and the land roads in the island are bad. There is no boat ferry transports for the passengers after Cyclone Nargis. The villagers had to rely on the transport of boat ferry transports from one village to another, because many communities situates on the beaches of the island. But in dry season, the people use local made vehicles and motor bikes in their travelling.

Accordingly to the local villagers, the cyclone Nargis strike to the Island about 10: 00 a. m. in the morning of May 2. They said the cyclone came from different directions: southwest, southeast, east and northeast and took for an hour and they never met like this cyclone and strong wind like that in the past. Many of them could not estimate how many miles per hour of that wind. Since the island was the first location which cyclone stuck, after an hour time, it stopped for 20 minutes. And, another round of strong wind came again and passed through all villages.

They have said that along with the strong cyclone, lots of trees fell down, a lot of houses destroyed, all their belongings were thrown away and they could not have time to help each other. The villages and villagers those close to the Sea found that the water level has increased and thrown into villages with rubbishes of fallen trees and branches, and others. When the wind stopped all water went down and thrown always trees, houses, humans and household materials.

All villages along the seacoast faced a very similar tragedy, but the villages inside the island faced strong winds but less flood. Trees were fallen, houses destroyed, materials thrown by the winds, and others. In all villages, all houses in the villages were destroyed and at least the roofs of even strong houses were thrown away. About 80% of the buildings in the island were totally destroyed. Some dying or dead people in the seacoast were thrown away from villages into the Sea. 322 people from the Island died because of this Cyclone.

After the cyclone hit, the people in the Island not only lost their houses and sheltering, their family members disappeared, their livelihoods – salt farms, shrimp farms, fishing boats, and paddy farms – were totally destroyed. Many cattle – water buffaloes, oxen and cows – died, fishing boats and fishing nets were destroyed and their paddy seedlings were also destroyed. Many service buildings like schools, hospitals and clinics, and monasteries were also destroyed. Some fruit or orchard gardens which comprised of cashew-nut, coconut, and mango trees were totally destroyed.

Information Restriction in Hein-gyi Island

Although there has been thousands of people died and missing due to this Cyclone Nargis, the SPDC authorities information village tract leaders, and village leaders to not report the number of real death and missing. HURFOM HR Workers also founded some evidence of this information restriction in the fields.

The Burmese navy authorities in Hein-gyi Island has instructed the village communities in the Island following Cyclone Nargis lashing the country, to not report all death number of the victims. The Cyclone Nargis was totally hit in the Island, according the residents in Hein-gyi Sub-township, over 1,000 villagers including a lot of children died in the Island. The residents knew well about the death number because it was their communities. A villager from the Island said “the Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) registered about 280 deaths in the village.” But the villagers said that the VPDC called Ya-ya-ka in Burmese recorded a lesser death toll because of orders from higher authorities.

The VPDC members told survivors that the Burmese authorities ordered recording only about 200 deaths in the villages where the death toll was between 500 and 600. The authorities did not record the death toll systematically and the VPDC’s also reported according to orders.

Self-Help in the Aftermath of Cyclone

Accordingly to the local villagers, the small amounts of assistance, ONLY plastic sheets were provided to 2 village communities in Chaung-wa Village Tract. Other remaining about 20 communities in the island never had received the plastic sheets.

In the aftermath of Cyclone, after almost the communities, livestock, foods and livelihood were totally destroyed, the community people who faced the same problems, found their own copying strategies in solving the problems.

ท After almost the houses and huts were totally destroyed, the community Buddhist monks organized the villagers to have repairing temporarily monastery first and provided sheltering to all victim families in the monasteries. The monasteries in these communities have provided sheltering to 50 to 100 families in each building.

ท The monks and community leaders traveled to Bassein city and other communities which less suffered from the Cyclone hit and asked for food donations. With the assistance, that they have received, to all cyclone victim families in their communities. The foods in the communities were wet and destroyed. So some families tried to put their paddy to be drought under sun heat, and shared each others.

ท The villagers tried to get clean water from higher area and so that they also cleaned some water ponds in the higher area, which were filled with salt water. In some communities, they also tried to store rain water to use as drinking water. But rain water are almost insufficient for their use.

ท The community people have to find their building materials, thatches, woods, bamboo, and others, which are available in the communities and repair their houses temporarily. Some also build new huts and stayed unsafely in there.

ท The communication from one village to another was cut. But later, the community people tried to clean foot paths roads and so that they can travel from one village to another, to help each other.

In the situation when almost the people are facing the same difficulties and problems, they have very limited time and resources to help each other. But HURFOM has founded that the Buddhist monks and monasteries have played a vital role in coordinating copying strategies in urgent responses to cyclone disasters and suffering, providing sheltering and seeking assistance.

Therefore, the local people has said, they have relied much on monks and monasteries that the State authorities and international aid agencies.

Order to Reconstruct the Devastated Communities

Amid the villagers are facing hopeless and helpless situation, the local authorities ordered the victim families to reconstruct their communities. Victims of Cyclone Nargis in a village in Nga-puu-taw Township are facing an uphill task in rebuilding their lives. The trail of destruction left many dead and swept away belongings.

As an instance:

Shwe Tauk village in the Township was founded 45 years ago with salt and prawn industry being set up. But after the May 3 cyclone all the farms were destroyed and a majority of workers killed. The village had eight large salt farms, six prawn units with at least 90 workers in each salt farms and 60 in the prawn farms. The villagers have been unable to restart work as the salt farm investors moved to other villages and many villagers did not return to the village after they moved to town to access aid.

Accordingly to the villagers, many villagers tried to Bassein and other areas, where the Aid agencies and the government authorities are setting up refugee shelters and they tried to live there even they received a very limited amount of foods.

However, the authorities and camp supervisors have checked their names and their villages. And, they said, the victims would be not allowed to stay in the camp more than one week. They must go back their home villages and rebuild their houses and their communities.

A villager from Chaung-wa village said:

“Now, I lost my houses and all my fishing materials. I am struggling to have foods for remaining family (one of his children died). I have to travel to some villages where I heard the people can get foods. I could not restart my new life. I am not familiar with working in rice farms and other types of works except from fishing.”

The authorities have failed to assess the situation of people’s livelihood in the area, and they have failed to support cattle and rice cultivation equipment, fishing boats and equipments for fishermen, etc. However, the authorities just ordered to return their communities and start the construction activities, without supports by government and UN Agencies.

Situation Update and Needs in Pyin-kha-yaing Island

Foods, Water, Sheltering, and Relocation

Food:

At the beginning of Cyclone hit, the villagers lost every thing and they had to find foods. They just got only wet paddy and pounded them for eating and drink just coconut water. All roads were destroyed and they could not travel to various locations in order to find foods and water. Only 4 days after Cyclone hit, some assistance from other communities from Bassein, those have less suffered, started to reach into the Island in a small amount by the demands of Buddhist monks in Island. They have to share each other for the foods they received and all of faced food-shortage problems while many of them each rice soups, vegetables and fruits.

Access to Food:

Even the current situation, the victims received one or one and a half month rice assistance, these cyclone victims still need more assistance because of all of them could not engage in their livelihood and could not reconstruct their lives at the moment due to rainy season.

Sheltering:

The villagers in Chaung-wa are has received some sheltering assistance from outside communities especially plastic sheets and a few iron roofing sheets. There are four types of housing were repaired and built after Cyclone hits and they are:

a. Some houses (who has some small money) repaired and roofed with iron sheets and made well with coconut leaves

b. Some houses were built with bamboo, wood and made walls and roofs with leaves

c. Some built long houses with roof and walls by plastics sheets

d. Some built small huts with thatches and woods (totally unsafe)

Relocation:

There are 3 types of relocation happened after Cyclone Nargis hit and they are:

a. Some villages those situates on the river bank and seacoast were thrown away by flood and the displaced villagers moved to a slightly higher area and resettled their families with many small huts

b. The villagers who lives near the sea are very afraid of another cyclone and all of them decided to move to the locations where they felt more safe

c. The villagers from some villages agreed to live in the locations set by the authorities and they moved into there. They lived in the long temporary shelters. But many of them cannot decide where they have to move

Water and Sanitation:

All of water ponds in the lower part of the Island were filled with salty water and they were useless. Therefore, they have to pick the water from the ponds in higher area. Some villagers used water pumps and took out the salty water, but they said the water are still not good. Some communities have to carry water from very far places.

Availability of Foods

International aid can come via INGOs and local NGOs and the community people. The amounts of foods received from outside communities will be little amount and they are not sure that they could receive foods from INGOs and NGOs, because they are the most distant communities.

The people can purchase from Bassein city if they have money. Traders who bring the rice and other types of foods came into area and sell to them. The families who have money can buy from traders. But the majority of poor families have to chance to buy rice and other foods.

The price of rice in Bassein is very expensive. It is about 25, 000 Kyat for 50 Kilogram sack and the victims paid 26, 000 Kyat in Pyin-kha-yaing Island. Therefore, many families could not afford this expensive cost for foods, because they left nothing.

Needs Assessment of Victims

Food Assessment:

There is a need to provide another round of relief assistance especially foods to this Island’s victims. In June, the victims in the Island received some rice assistance from a community to community direct assistance and when it was totally eaten in the Island, they still need another food assistance for another one or two months because now is totally in rainy season and they could not find foods for them.

Sheltering Assessment:

Accordingly to the news from the victims, they said that the authorities will take all plastic sheets and temporary tents in the Island very soon and all of them might need to build a temporary hut for their families. The authorities or NGOs should plan to support them to build temporary houses in which the family members can stay safely, which means these houses should protect from winds and rain water. Similarly, in the relocation sites, the people needed to build houses.

More problematic in the area was, many monasteries those could provide sheltering to hundreds of people, were ruin about 80%, and so that they could not prove safe sheltering for them.

School Building Assessment:

The Primary Schools of in Tha-pyay-nguu, Gone-gyi, Than-baya-gone, Poe-kalar-gone, Kyin-kaw, Gway-tauk-gyi, Ale-taung village/ward; a High School in Chaung-wa were destroyed. The communities without any outside supports had to repair these schools temporarily and started schools in early June, accordingly to the order. But many children could not join, because their parents moved or disappeared and some of them moved to orphan centers.

In Kan-seik village, a made-shift school was built for the children from Kyin-kaw village who moved close into Kan-seik village by the community supports and labour. The community people also found 2 teachers for the school. Save the Children also provided plastic sheets for that school. But there is no furniture. A school in Chaung-wa High School was totally destroyed and only temporarily re-built. Since there are too many students for this school, no sufficient classes and so that the students in each class can learn only 2 hours per day.

Health Care Assessment:

The State’s health care system is still operating. There are Pyin-kha-yaing Hospital, and other clinics in Chaung-wa, War-gone, Si-laung, and Ale-taung in operation and they have taken the patients. In Chaung-wa, there are two private clinics and they have provided medical care on a daily basis for many hours. These hospitals and clinics also received medicines and medical equipment from some NGOs.

However, many communities do not receive any good system of getting clean water, safe toilets and keeping rubbishes. The victims also have to set it up in building community’s toilets and help each other in getting clean water. The community people made awareness of drinking boil water and used community toilets.

Children Education’s Assessment:

Majority of the schools in the Island already re-opened and some number of kids attended the school while some of their friends disappeared. Some made-shift schools in the relocated areas are built, because of the order, but the community people could not find teachers. In some community established schools, the community teachers voluntarily involve in teaching the kids. Good school building and teachers are required by all communities.

Livelihood Assessment:

In order to start the paddy cultivation in this rainy season, the people in Island demand for cattle (especially water buffaloes), ploughing machines, paddy seeds or seedlings, fertilizers, and invested money. No farmers can start paddy cultivation yet, because they left nothing and some of them relocated in the new places which are far from their farms. Many cattle died and there is a scarcity of the animals to help the farmers in farming. The authorities in the area have announced that they would provide cattle and seedling for the farmers. But no farmers received any assistance to start paddy cultivation.

Fishermen in the coastal communities lost all of their fishing equipment – fishing nets, boats, propeller engines, etc. – when the Cyclone Nargis wasted away. Fishermen became jobless. Most farmers could not afford to buy new boats and other fishing equipment. They also could not change the livelihood that they did not familiar with. They demands for fishing equipment and boats.

Most gardens in the area which includes orchid plantations of coconut, mango and cashew-nut were destroyed. Some gardeners cleared out all fallen trees and branches in the gardens and prepared to create new orchid plantations, however, they need seedlings of orchid plants. They said, even they tried to find the seedlings in Bassein, many are not available. Many of them, they will have any opportunity to re-create the plantations this year.

Conclusion:

Amid helpless and hopeless situation among the Cyclone victims which was added with isolation imposed by the military authorities, it has been a highest hope for the victims the community to community assistance has been taken place. First the communities, which less suffered from disaster from Bassein and northern area people provided helping hands to the victims in Nga-puu-taw and Laputta Township area. But their assistance is limited and not a big amount. The victims demand enormous food, sheltering and other assistance.

While the people in Pyin-kha-yaing Island were in a serious need for emergency assistance, they got a few assistance from outside communities which support with rice, blankets and mosquito nets. Totally the victims from 21 communities received this Community to Community Direct Assistance.

From talking with victims, HURFOM concluded that:

ท The Cyclone victims in Nga-puu-taw and Lapputa Townships area need 2 to 3 months assistance especially rice until they can well establish their lives and have new livelihoods for income.

ท Sheltering assistance, especially some roofing materials, cements, iron sheets, iron nails and other building materials should be provided.

ท All schools in the whole area need to be re-built with wooden, cemented walls and roofed with iron sheets. Teachers should be employed in all schools and salaries must be supported by government or NGOs for the moment until every thing is set up.

ท Since the agriculture and fishing are the main livelihoods of the local people, they also need assistance from the government’s department concerned.

However, Mon community’s only 25% of the assistance of the total requirement are reached to the cyclone victims communities in Islands and along the seacoast. The communities in island still need the continuous relief and reconstruction assistance from other communities, aid agencies and UN Agencies.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News