Action Alert from Church World Service

Thousands of people have been killed or are missing in Myanmar (Burma) as Tropical Cyclone Nargis pushed ashore over the weekend. BBC News reports three-quarters of structures in the Irrawaddy region were destroyed by fierce winds, rain and storm surge. A United Nations relief worker in Yangon tells the Associated Press villages in the Irrawaddy Delta have been completely flattened. On Haing-gyi Island, along the country’s southwest coast, an estimated 20,000 homes have been destroyed, leaving at least 90,000 homeless.

Profiteering is already starting to grip those coping in the storm’s aftermath, with prices on food, fuel and building supplies shooting up 300 percent. CWS partners report communication abilities throughout Burma have been compromised.

RESPONSE: Immediate relief operations are underway with a comprehensive assessment on-going. The CWS Asia Regional Office is in direct contact with partners in Myanmar, and in coming days this initial appeal will be expanded to reflect needed support for longer-term recovery efforts in Myanmar.

Contributions to support this emergency appeal may be made online, sent to your denomination, or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515. Please designate: MYANMAR (BURMA) CYCLONE NARGIS RESPONSE (#699-A).