NRC continues to respond to the shelter needs in Myanmar. Several hundred thousand people are still in need of sustainable shelter, a year and a half after cyclone Nargis struck.
"NRC has built more than 1,000 permanent shelters with cyclone-resistant features in the severely affected areas in the delta. For the time being, we are setting up shelters at a speed of 200 per month," NRC Secretary General Elisabeth Rasmusson said.
NRC has built five schools that also can serve as community cyclone shelters, with 20 more buildings now under construction. Close to 3,600 additional shelters have been strengthened community infrastructure such as jetties and foot bridges have been rebuilt in several locations affected by the storm surge of Nargis. The construction activities, all in Labutta District, are complemented by on-site training and capacity-building of the village populations to increase disaster preparedness in case of future emergencies.
2,4 million people were severely affected when cyclone Nargis hit the Ayeyarwady delta in the southern parts of Myanmar in May 2008. Not only did many people lose their loved ones. 800 000 families lost their homes. Also, livelihoods opportunities, health and education facilities and other essential infrastructure were destroyed by the cyclone.
The international community is struggling to get donors' support to the recovery efforts. To date, only US$120 million out of $691 million needed for the next three years has been pledged for the joint Post Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan. Projects in shelter, health, education and agriculture are most at risk of premature closure.
In a recent meeting in Oslo, between NRC and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Bishow Parajuli, as well as the Head of OCHA in Myanmar, Thierry Delbreuve, the Secretary General stressed that NRC is committed to continue its work in the delta in a time when other actors have to scale down or pull out completely because of lack of resources.
"In addition to provide continued support to the cyclone survivors, NRC is also looking into other parts of Myanmar where our expertise may be required," Rasmusson said.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator thanked NRC for efforts on the ground as well as for its support in seconding several staff to various UN agencies in Myanmar, through its emergency standby roster NORCAP, supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
