cbm is sending an international team to carry out an assessment and initiate a first response following the events of May 3. The team’s first task is to evaluate the needs of persons with disability in cooperation with local and relief stakeholders. Valérie Scherrer, cbm emeregency coordinator, will lead the team.
Valérie said: „In an emergency situation, persons with disability are easily overlooked. Therefore, it becomes particularly important to work in tandem with other organsations to identify persons with disabilities in order to understand their situation and their needs.“
„From my past experience of emergency situations, I anticipate that the situation will be very serious, and the post-cyclone devastation will threaten the lives of people with disability because of lack of access to relief, water, food, health and other specific services.“
The death and missing persons toll from cyclone Nargis is estimated at 100,000, and at least a million are estimated to be homeless. Local health workers also fear a water-borne epidemic that could potentially kill and disable many more people.
The team will travel as much as permitted in the affected area to assess the scope of the damage, meeting and partnering with other organisations to ensure that persons with disability have access to support. This strategy is in line with cbm’s mandate and policy.
Myanmar authorities have declared five regions – Yangon, Ayeyarwaddy, Bago, Mon and Kayin, as disaster areas. The population of the declared disaster areas is estimated at 24 million, with an estimated 6 million in Yangon. More than 3,000 people are reportedly missing in Ayeyarwaddy alone.
