This bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the current situation and details available at this time. The Myanmar Red Cross Society, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has analyzed that the available information points toward significant humanitarian needs. A scaled-up response which will require support from the IFRC Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) or other international disaster response mechanisms is envisioned.
The situation
Floods brought by monsoon rains that have been pounding parts of Myanmar since late July 2016 have affected a number of townships in Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, Ayeyawaddy, Magway and Yangon region and to some extent, Kachin State.
According to the latest figures released by the Relief and Resettlement Department (RRD), at least 377 000 people have been displaced from their homes in the six states with Magway being the most affected area – where some 60,000 people have been displaced. Five people have died – two in Sagaing, two in Kachin and one in Yangon. Many schools remain closed across affected areas. Flood waters are gradually moving south towards the Ayeyarwady Delta. Monsoon conditions persist and is moderate to strong over the Andaman sea and the Bay of Bengal, threatening further rainfall.
State and local governments are leading the response, sandbagging vulnerable areas along river banks and providing food, water, relief items, cash and some construction materials to affected people. The Emergency Operations Centre has not been activated at this stage and the response is mostly being managed at the State/Regional level using existing resources. The government is coordinating with the Red Cross and civil society organizations which are providing relief supplies including food, water and oral rehydration salts, as well as assistance with evacuations.
The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology has indicated that the swelling of rivers in upper Myanmar comes as the country enters what could be the peak month of the monsoon season.