Situation remains dire for Myanmar cyclone victims, UN agencies warn

25 July 2008 – Nearly three months after deadly Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar, hundreds of thousands of children and adults are in need of critical humanitarian assistance, two United Nations agencies on the frontlines of relief efforts “The situation in Myanmar remains dire,” said Chris Kaye, Country Director for the UN World Food Programme (WFP). “The vast majority of families simply don’t have enough to eat.” A joint assessment carried out by the Government, the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stated similar concerns, confirming that more than 40 per cent of households lost all food stocks during the storm, which battered the country’s southern coast in early May. The Post-Nargis Joint Assessment Final Report, released earlier this week, puts a $1 billion price tag on recovery needs over three... [read full story]