Several Canadian disaster relief organizations are on the ground in Myanmar and contributing to relief and recovery efforts, hours after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck, killing over 1,600 people. Read More
In hours, the death toll has risen to 1,644, with the likelihood numbers will continue to grow as rescuers confirm more casualties over a widespread region.
In hours, the death toll has risen to 1,644, with the likelihood numbers will continue to grow as rescuers confirm more casualties over a widespread region.
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Several Canadian disaster relief organizations are on the ground in Myanmar and contributing to relief and recovery efforts, hours after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck, killing over 1,600 people.
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The earthquake struck midday Friday with an epicenter not far from Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city and followed by several aftershocks. It sent buildings in many areas toppling to the ground, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse and burst a dam.
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In hours, the death toll had risen to 1,644 and the number of injured topping 3,400, with both numbers expected to grow.
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Staff and volunteers from several Canadian non-profits, including the Canadian Red Cross, World Vision Canada and Salvation Army Canada are already on ground in Myanmar, or waiting on standby to fly in, when requested by local support teams.
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The efforts have been made more complicated by the fact Myanmar has been involved in a years-long civil war, said Greg Toews, Canadian director for Partners Relief & Development.
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“I don’t think recovery is going to be coming fast to the country because the government has its priorities elsewhere,” he said. “So it will be a long road to recover for those affected by the earthquake.”
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Several national, international rescue non-profits put out appeals for funding
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Michelle Michalak, spokesperson for World Vision Canada, a Canadian non-profit, said the organization had put out an appeal for funding immediately in the aftermath of the earthquake.
Staff already established in Yangon, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam had “felt the quake,” according to a statement shared by Dr. Kyi Minn, national director of the Myanmar chapter of the non-profit.
“We are trying to establish with staff in the area what exactly has happened and stand ready to respond as the scale and location of this disaster becomes clearer. Our staff are trained in disaster responses and have mobilized to find out exactly what is needed.”
Toews said a Partners relief team has landed in Myanmar to make an assessment of needs in Shan state before heading to Taunggyi, southeast of Mandalay.
“They did say that the power is out everywhere, so that’s going to hamper efforts and also communications,” he said.
Most of the damage, he said, has been confined to centralized Myanmar, which is within the government’s control, inadvertently making it easier for non-profits to bring help to those affected. “They wouldn’t allow relief organizations to go into areas that the government doesn’t control,” he said.
The emergency planning, he said, will remain the same as it has for years. With funding, an emergency team will go in to provide tarps for shelter, blankets, food packs “depending on the needs of those in the area.”
“I don’t envision that we’ll be doing any reconstruction in those areas given that it’s all in government-controlled areas,” he said.
Chiran Livera, Canadian Red Cross lead, said staff are on standby to support their Myanmar chapter, who are currently on the ground and in the midst of rescue efforts. “Their primary focus has been on search-and-rescue efforts, providing first aid and transporting to the hospitals,” he said. “That’s their mandate from the government to do that.”
Staff in the local chapter have also been providing food, medical and shelter supports to affected families, as well as reuniting family members who may be missing and/or looking for someone.
Currently around 400 staff are on ground he said, with others on standby to fly in if more help is required. The organization had also put out an appeal for donations to help with funding efforts. As the appeal was put up yesterday, Livera said he isn’t sure how much has been collected so far.
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Challenges in carrying our rescue and relief efforts
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Prior to the earthquake, the country had been embroiled in a years-long civil war, after Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021, complicating local and international efforts to ensure aid is accessible and fast.
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“The main focus has been on medical assistance,” Livera said. “First aid, evacuating individuals to hospitals.”
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Due to the civil war, the local health-care industry has already been weak and overwhelmed, according to Toews. “We have heard reports of people being treated in the streets because the hospitals and clinics are simply overwhelmed,” he said.
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Myanmar’s government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas.
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Military forces continued their attacks even after the quake, with three airstrikes in northern Kayin state, also called Karenni state, and southern Shan — both of which border Mandalay state, said Dave Eubank, a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who founded the Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian aid organization that has provided assistance to both combatants and civilians in Myanmar since the 1990s.
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