BANGKOK, Thailand, May 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- International
Rescue Committee emergency team members have arrived in Myanmar and four
additional teams are on standby for deployment to the region as the IRC
prepares for a possible outbreak of water-borne diseases in cyclone-ravaged
villages.
"Nearly all homes were destroyed in the villages I assessed today and
the survivors have virtually no access to clean drinking water," says the
IRC's emergency coordinator, Gordon Bacon, speaking from Yangon. "With each
passing day, we come closer to a massive health disaster and a second wave
of deaths that is potentially larger than the first."
In addition to aid workers mounting relief efforts on the ground, the
IRC has medical, water, sanitation, operations and logistics experts
already in the region or ready to be dispatched to Myanmar as soon as aid
corridors open up.
The IRC has emergency stocks in Dubai ready for shipment and is
procuring cholera kits, emergency health kits and water treatment supplies
to position in Thailand.
"Everything hinges on access," says Greg Beck, the IRC's Thailand-based
Asia regional director. "Unless there's a massive and fast infusion of aid,
experts and supplies into the hardest-hit areas, there's going to be a
tragedy at an unimaginable scale."
The IRC is accepting contributions to support emergency relief programs
and long-term recovery assistance in Myanmar. Donations in the U.S. can be
made by calling 1-877-REFUGEE (1-877-733-8433) or visiting http://www.theIRC.org,
and in the UK and Europe, by calling 44 020 7692 2735 or visiting
http://www.IRCuk.org.
About the IRC: A global leader in humanitarian assistance, the
International Rescue Committee works around the world offering help and
hope to refugees and others uprooted by conflict and oppression. During
crises, IRC teams provide health care, shelter, clean water, sanitation,
learning and healing programs for children and special aid for women. As
emergencies subside, the IRC stays to revive livelihoods and help shattered
communities recover and rebuild. The IRC also helps resettle refugees
admitted into the United States. A tireless advocate for the most
vulnerable, the IRC is committed to restoring hope, dignity and
opportunity.
SOURCE International Rescue Committee
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Related links:
http://www.IRCuk.org
http://www.theirc.org/
CONTACT:
New York (in Bangkok May 11): Melissa
Winkler, +1-646-734-0305, melissa.winkler@theIRC.org, New York:
Philip Wood, +1-212-551-2950, philip.wood@theIRC.org, London:
Lydia Gomersall, +44-20-7692-2741, +44-7779-855 -021,
lydia.gomersall@IRCuk.org, Vienna: Peter Biro, +43-664-279-3977,
+1-646-201-3697, peter.biro@theIRC.org, all of the International
Rescue Committee
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