Cyclone Nargis Response and Thanks
Dear supporter,
On May 2, 2008, a catastrophic cyclone devastated the Delta region of Myanmar. In its wake, 2.4 million people were left without homes and livelihoods. It is estimated that more than 130,000 people were killed by the storm. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of Myanmar.
Overnight the cyclone isolated millions and destroyed roads and bridges, cutting off supply routes for essential commodities and medical care. Pact was one of only a handful of international organizations working in the Delta. Immediately Pact's local teams were visiting the 985 villages where Pact worked, conducting emergency needs assessments and relaying this information to Pact Myanmar’s office in Yangon and the UN disaster coordination mechanism. Through generous donations from concerned individuals, Pact's assistance served as a vital bridge in resources for cyclone victims before support from established disaster relief organizations became available.
Your support enabled Pact to deliver the following to cyclone survivors:
- 75,000 households received rice and food baskets monthly for one year after the cyclone, totaling more than 18,600 metric tons of food to 337,000 people.
- 20,000 households received chlorination tablets, soap, and water storage tanks. This assistance helped stem secondary disasters such as cholera and other outbreaks that ravage populations in the wake of natural disasters.
- Deployed 19 medical doctors on staff and 70 assistants who saw 40,341 patients in 754 villages, delivered 1,000 safe-delivery kits and 520 dignity kits for women.
In order to help victims rebuild their lives, Pact provided cash grants so that people could immediately obtain necessary food, water and shelter. The distribution of our cash grants breaks down as follows:
- 10,000 households received cash grants for shelter
- 8,500 cash and in-kind grants to households for fishing and livestock
- 7,400 grants to households for agriculture
- 500 villages received cash grants for rehabilitation of water catchment ponds and clearing of debris
Pact staff lived alongside the victims of the cyclone and our staff had to cope with lost family members and destroyed homes as well – with five losing their life in the storm. The timely and targeted assistance that our staff was able to provide with your support literally meant the difference between life or death for many. Our combined efforts ensured thousands had a helping hand before more traditional disaster relief could make its way to them.
On behalf of our beneficiaries in Myanmar and our more than 1,000 staff on the ground there today: Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mark Viso
President and CEO
Pact
