Myanmar: Nearly 1m affected by Myanmar floods

The Associated Press Financial Times 9 Aug 15;

NYAUNG KON VILLAGE, Myanmar — Nearly 1m people have been affected by floods across Myanmar as the death toll on Sunday climbed to almost 100.

Waters in the low-lying south-western delta inundated homes and forced villagers into temporary shelters, the government said. In some places, only the roofs of homes could be seen.

International aid was on the way following appeals by the government, but so far, most of the help has come from volunteers ferrying noodles, rice and clean water door-to-door in small boats.

Heavy monsoon rains that began in late June — compounded more recently by Cyclone Komen — have triggered some of Myanmar’s worst flash floods and landslides in recent memory. All but two of the country’s 14 states have been affected.

The death toll reached 99 on Sunday and more than 900,000 people have been affected — a third of them in the Irrawaddy Delta, said Phyu Lei Lei Tun, director of the ministry of social welfare, relief and resettlement.

It is here — in a desperately poor region known as the Rice Bowl — that several mighty rivers meet before feeding into the sea.

Downstream waters have caused river banks to burst, swallowing up rice paddies and homes.

Some of the affected people have been displaced, while others living in houses that have been inundated by flooding were unwilling to leave their homes.

Zin Mar Htun was seeking refuge in a school with six family members, including her 11-month-old son, after their house was flushed away in the raging waters. “We had our own raft, so we sought refuge here,” she said.

The UN pledged $9m in assistance this past week, but so far most help has come from private citizens and non-governmental organisations.

Myanmar’s appeal for help was in sharp contrast to its response following Cyclone Nargis in 2008, when the nation’s then-military rulers refused international aid and largely downplayed the destruction — though more than 100,000 people were killed.

A nominally civilian government now runs the country, but critics say it is not moving quickly enough to help those in need.