Two months after Cyclone Giri struck the west coast of Myanmar, Kyi Than and his family of four are still living in a tiny makeshift hut with another family.
"We don't know how long we have to live like this," said Kyi Than, a day labourer in his 40s. When the cyclone destroyed their house, Kyi Than and his neighbour scavenged for anything useful to build a new home.
Their two families, nine members in total, now live in a makeshift hut just 3.3m by 2.1m wide and 1.8m high, which has no floor but a tarpaulin sheet on the ground.
Kyi Than is worried the dwelling will not last until the monsoon season in May.
Two months since the category-four storm struck on 22 October - affecting an estimated 260,000 and leaving 45 dead - shelter remains a pressing need.
According to the UN, up to 70-80 percent of all houses in the villages of Min Chaung and Shin Taung in Myebon Township and Byine Thit in Pauktaw Township were destroyed, while schools and health facilities were severely damaged.
"[The] most precarious conditions are prevailing even after two months," Thierry Delbreuve, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, who visited the affected area, told IRIN. "Those families who lost their homes are living in public buildings or with host families and in temporarily erected structures covered with tarps."
More shelter kits needed
Cyclone Giri, which made landfall in four townships of the western Rakhine state, left more than 100,000 people homeless, after completely destroying over 20,000 houses, and damaging another 30,000.
In an effort to provide emergency shelters, the government, UN agencies, and international and local NGOs have been delivering tarpaulin sheets, ropes, tents, and tools to the survivors.
According to OCHA, as of 10 December emergency kits have been distributed in 38 percent of the cyclone-affected areas.
However, many cyclone-affected families have yet to receive any help.
"Many families are still in need of tarpaulin sheets with which they can make the roof or the walls for their makeshift huts," one aid worker from an international agency said on condition of anonymity. "But we are still unable to provide emergency kits to all the needy households due to lack of sufficient funds."
Logistical challenges
Insufficient funds are just one problem, with many aid agencies reporting logistical challenges in reaching those affected.
"A major challenge for our relief activities was to arrange the timely transport of relief items from Yangon to the project area," said Arno Coerver, country coordinator of Malteser International/Myanmar, a German-based relief organization.
Malteser has concentrated relief efforts in Pauktaw and Myebon townships on providing household kits and tarpaulins to 1,250 families, as well as providing emergency sanitation (latrines).
Many villages are only accessible by water. In some cases, agencies must rely on the tide to deliver aid.
Rising prices
In Rakhine State, people traditionally construct their houses with wood, bamboo, and nipa palm for roofs.
Before the cyclone, such housing material was not expensive but now prices have spiralled, with many cyclone survivors saying they have to spend at least US$500 to rebuild their homes.
"How can we afford such things when we don't have any income?" asked one woman from a small coastal village about six hours by motor boat from Myebon.
"We can't even dream of rebuilding such a house while we're unable even to find food ourselves," another cyclone survivor added.
OCHA estimates that $17.5 million is needed to repair the damaged houses and to build temporary shelters.
Given that sub-standard housing led to the extensive damage caused by the cyclone in the first place, funding for shelter activities should be a priority in order to be prepared should another cyclone make landfall in the region, Delbreuve said.
"If no sustainable solutions are found," said Delbreuve, "the international community needs to spend similar amounts every time a disaster hits the region."
According to the UN, overall funding needs for all sectors for both emergency and early recovery phases are estimated at $57 million.
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"We don't know how long we have to live like this," said Kyi Than, a day labourer in his 40s. When the cyclone destroyed their house, Kyi Than and his neighbour scavenged for anything useful to build a new home.
Their two families, nine members in total, now live in a makeshift hut just 3.3m by 2.1m wide and 1.8m high, which has no floor but a tarpaulin sheet on the ground.
Kyi Than is worried the dwelling will not last until the monsoon season in May.
Two months since the category-four storm struck on 22 October - affecting an estimated 260,000 and leaving 45 dead - shelter remains a pressing need.
According to the UN, up to 70-80 percent of all houses in the villages of Min Chaung and Shin Taung in Myebon Township and Byine Thit in Pauktaw Township were destroyed, while schools and health facilities were severely damaged.
"[The] most precarious conditions are prevailing even after two months," Thierry Delbreuve, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, who visited the affected area, told IRIN. "Those families who lost their homes are living in public buildings or with host families and in temporarily erected structures covered with tarps."
More shelter kits needed
Cyclone Giri, which made landfall in four townships of the western Rakhine state, left more than 100,000 people homeless, after completely destroying over 20,000 houses, and damaging another 30,000.
In an effort to provide emergency shelters, the government, UN agencies, and international and local NGOs have been delivering tarpaulin sheets, ropes, tents, and tools to the survivors.
According to OCHA, as of 10 December emergency kits have been distributed in 38 percent of the cyclone-affected areas.
However, many cyclone-affected families have yet to receive any help.
"Many families are still in need of tarpaulin sheets with which they can make the roof or the walls for their makeshift huts," one aid worker from an international agency said on condition of anonymity. "But we are still unable to provide emergency kits to all the needy households due to lack of sufficient funds."
Logistical challenges
Insufficient funds are just one problem, with many aid agencies reporting logistical challenges in reaching those affected.
"A major challenge for our relief activities was to arrange the timely transport of relief items from Yangon to the project area," said Arno Coerver, country coordinator of Malteser International/Myanmar, a German-based relief organization.
Photo: Toe Toe/IRIN  |
| Thousands of homes were destroyed |
Many villages are only accessible by water. In some cases, agencies must rely on the tide to deliver aid.
Rising prices
In Rakhine State, people traditionally construct their houses with wood, bamboo, and nipa palm for roofs.
Before the cyclone, such housing material was not expensive but now prices have spiralled, with many cyclone survivors saying they have to spend at least US$500 to rebuild their homes.
"How can we afford such things when we don't have any income?" asked one woman from a small coastal village about six hours by motor boat from Myebon.
"We can't even dream of rebuilding such a house while we're unable even to find food ourselves," another cyclone survivor added.
OCHA estimates that $17.5 million is needed to repair the damaged houses and to build temporary shelters.
Given that sub-standard housing led to the extensive damage caused by the cyclone in the first place, funding for shelter activities should be a priority in order to be prepared should another cyclone make landfall in the region, Delbreuve said.
"If no sustainable solutions are found," said Delbreuve, "the international community needs to spend similar amounts every time a disaster hits the region."
According to the UN, overall funding needs for all sectors for both emergency and early recovery phases are estimated at $57 million.
tt/cm/ds/mw
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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