Emergency Earthquake Relief in Myanmar & Thailand

Peace Winds teams continue working to meet survivors’ most urgent needs after Myanmar’s devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake. They are teaming up with local partners to assess changing needs and focus even more effort on distributing a wide range of emergency supplies and food assistance to communities throughout the disaster zone. 

Last week, Peace Winds’ disaster medical team handed over responsibility for its field clinic to another organization and rotated out of the country. Doctors and nurses spent about two weeks treating patients in Sagaing, near the epicenter, where the need for medical care remains urgent. Much of the city’s infrastructure has collapsed, contributing to the spread of disease as residents are forced to defecate in the open.

About 80 percent of the buildings in Sagaing have been destroyed. Many of those who lost their homes are sleeping in temples that are being used as evacuation centers, and others set up makeshift tents made from tarpaulins strung around trees. Survivors in Sagaing lamented to Peace Winds staff about the lack of privacy and the discomfort of sleeping on picnic blankets for multiple weeks. They worried about the prospect of living in these conditions long-term; Myanmar is in its hottest and most humid season now, and the upcoming rainy season will present even more challenges for people living in makeshift shelters.

Food and clean water are also scarce, and when they are available, skyrocketing prices put them out of reach for many families. One of the biggest concerns that Peace Winds heard from survivors in Sagaing was about the rising cost of basic items. Myanmar is one of Asia’s poorest countries, and residents were already grappling with issues like food insecurity and fragile education and healthcare systems because of the country’s ongoing civil war. More than 1.3 million people in Sagaing alone are internally displaced. The latest natural disaster has only amplified these problems.

Peace Winds staff are now distributing food and essential supplies to survivors in Mandalay. This includes bottled water, shelter kits, sleeping mats, blankets, hygiene items, and other necessities. Because the needs are so great, we plan to continue this support for the next six to 12 months. Staff are working with local partner organizations to plan activities for long-term recovery. Donations to our work in Myanmar will help us continue to save lives through this work.