Posted 5-10-08

Burma Agrees to Allow U.S. Cargo Plane with Relief Supplies

By Merle D. Kellerhals, Jr.
Staff Writer

Washington, DC (America.gov) -- Seven days after Cyclone Nargis slammed into Burma's densely populated Irrawaddy Delta killing thousands and displacing thousands more, the ruling military junta has given permission for the United States to send in a military C-130 cargo plane with emergency relief supplies on May 12, a White House spokesman says.

"We hope this is the beginning of major U.S. assistance to the Burmese people," White House deputy press secretary Gordon Johndroe announced May 8 in Crawford, Texas. President Bush and his family were in Crawford to prepare for his daughter Jenna's wedding May 10.

"We will continue to work with the government of Burma on additional access for [the U.S. Agency for International Development], nongovernmental organizations [NGOs], as well as our other international partners, to provide assistance to help the Burmese people during their time of need," Johndroe said.

He said the United States is working with relief agencies that are in Rangoon, Burma's largest city, to receive the supplies on May 12 and make sure that the aid goes to the Burmese people.

Johndroe noted that a considerable amount of relief supplies are already pre-positioned in the region as well as on U.S. Navy ships, which are within a few days’ sailing time of the Southeast Asian nation. "We talked some this week and the U.N. has talked some this week about the most urgent needs, such as water purification devices as well as other issues to stop some of the water-borne diseases we're very concerned about," he said.

However, Johndroe also noted that the Burmese government still has not approved visas for access by a U.S. disaster assistance team, NGOs or other countries. At the moment, he said, all that can be done is to continue working with the government.

Cyclone Nargis struck Burma late on May 2, raking across the delta region and into Rangoon by May 3. Official sources have said that at least 22,980 people have been killed, and another 42,119 are missing, but the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon says its sources indicate the death toll is nearer 100,000.

The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) briefly suspended relief flights into Rangoon May 9 after the Burmese government seized food shipments intended for storm survivors. However, the WFP later announced that it was resuming aid flights.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon had urged the military junta, which seized control of the nation in 1962, to accept aid and humanitarian workers "without hindrance." The United States, international relief agencies and other governments have echoed those comments over the last several days.

The United States has pledged $3.25 million in immediate relief assistance. The U.S. Embassy in Rangoon gave the government $250,000 from the embassy's emergency fund immediately after the storm struck. President Bush pledged $3 million more, and USAID has already given the American Red Cross $1 million for non-food aid.

Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in New York that transportation of relief supplies is of critical importance at this point in the post-storm period.

"Given the enormity of the humanitarian needs resulting from this disaster, we urge the government to grant immediate access to the affected areas to international humanitarian relief teams and nongovernmental organizations so they may help provide assistance to those in need," Khalilzad said. "An effective humanitarian response requires more than the provision of supplies; it requires skilled disaster personnel whose knowledge, experience, and expertise in assessing, coordinating, and delivering life-saving assistance is urgently needed."

Khalilzad noted that helicopters on nearby U.S. Navy ships can provide a faster means of delivery of vital relief supplies to remote areas than by other means. Burma has approximately 12 helicopters, but only five are working, according to news reports.

The United Nations has said that, based on satellite images, the storm's damage has affected an area of about 11,600 square miles (30,000 square kilometers) along the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Martaban coastlines in the Irrawaddy Delta. Many of the places are remote and difficult to reach by land.

A significant portion of Burma's food producing region was directly hit by the cyclone and is still flooded with saltwater. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), five of the states hit hardest produce 65 percent of the country's rice crop. The region is also home to 80 percent of the country’s aquaculture, 50 percent of its poultry and 40 percent of its pig production, the FAO said.