I've been doing things here, kind of quietly, but intensely.
Spoke with Foundation for the People of Burma, and have been in email
contact with US Embassy in Yangon, etc.
DISASTER RELIEF PHASES - and realities
A couple broad points:
1)WE ARE IN THE - OFTEN RATHER SHORT - EMERGENCY PHASE:
trying to rescue stranded people, reach and take care of bad injuries,
provide clean water, water purification, food, and fuel, clear roads,
remove dangerous things and dead bodies.
(this phase may be longer in the far parts of the delta,
and the countryside east from Yangon)
2)THEN COMES THE - MUCH LONGER - RECOVERY AND REBUILDING PHASE:
Building shelter for people: sometimes temporary. Establish adequate water,
power, garbage, medical systems - sometimes temporary until long term
can be built. Care for orphans, or traumatized victims.
3)THEN - LONG TERM REBUILDING
done with higher safety and longevity standards.
------------------------------
This is a long term problem, and Burma will need just as much money - actually more money -
in a month, and 2 and 3 and 6 and 10 months, etc.
And, this is the BEGINNING of the monsoon season.
Money that is donated and collected has to be spread out, for this particular disaster - and money will
have to be donated and collected again, and again.
Sources in Burma, and just coming back, say there is a lot of aid money in Yangon,
but the things that are needed to buy with the money: water purification tablets,
shelter material, food staples, medical supplies -are not quite there yet.
They need these things ASAP, and they are mostly arriving soon - hopefully.
HOWEVER, getting these things to the far-flung areas is still nearly impossible,
or very difficult. It's not so much a money issue at the moment.
The point is: do everything we can, and also realize that in a lot of similar situation, the interest and hard
work fades away - often before the second phase 2 is completed. People get overloaded, and burnt-out.
If it can't get into phase 3, then we haven't completed our job.
SO - pace yourselves, and realize that Burma needs our energy and commitment FOR A LONG TIME.
(If you've read my reports of the work I do in Burma, I pace myself at high-speeds)
Even after all the deaths are tallied, and all the damage is assessed, Burma will STILL need
a lot from us. If it can't get into phase 3, then we haven't completed our job.
DONATION MONEY doesn't all have to be sent off immediately. Just as when a country pledges a large amount
it's rarely all delivered at once. Because, miss-use, ill-use, or worse, can happen in chaotic conditions.
Let's collect as much as we can, and dole it out with clarity and purpose. And then again later, and again.
Money can't be wired or transmitted to Burma - it's carried in.
There are people going to Burma that can carry money in at times -
I'm meeting someone tomorrow that's going in soon, I'm going in June 1,
others will be going. It can be doled out to agencies in Burma, or to specific needs, etc.
It is nice to have some 'personal human connections' to: an orphanage, school, village, widow, etc.
Nick Harmony
Hoping for Hope in Burma
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Meeting Announced
You Are Cordially Invited To Join The San Francisco Bay Area Burmese Community Meeting.
What: Burmese community meeting in San Francisco bay area.
When: Wednesday May 7, 2008. At 7:00 p.m.
Where: 4619 Central Ave, Fremont, CA 94536
Phone: (510) 795-0405
Who: Burmese community & friends of Burma
View Map
What: Burmese community meeting in San Francisco bay area.
When: Wednesday May 7, 2008. At 7:00 p.m.
Where: 4619 Central Ave, Fremont, CA 94536
Phone: (510) 795-0405
Who: Burmese community & friends of Burma
View Map
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Bay Area Burmese raise cyclone relief funds
by Tyche Hendricks, Staff Writer, San Francisco Chronicle
Mabel Tun spent Monday working her phone nonstop. When she wasn't trying to reach her family in Rangoon, she was dialing her Burmese friends in the Bay Area and coordinating a collection of funds to send home for cyclone relief.
"We're all worried because we've heard that a lot of people are dying, but we cannot get through," said Tun, a nurse at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Palo Alto. "My niece and nephew are in Rangoon, but we cannot contact them. And my parents are in a township with no telephone. I don't know what to do." READ MORE»
San Francisco Chronicle
© 2008 Hearst Communications Inc.
Mabel Tun spent Monday working her phone nonstop. When she wasn't trying to reach her family in Rangoon, she was dialing her Burmese friends in the Bay Area and coordinating a collection of funds to send home for cyclone relief.
"We're all worried because we've heard that a lot of people are dying, but we cannot get through," said Tun, a nurse at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Palo Alto. "My niece and nephew are in Rangoon, but we cannot contact them. And my parents are in a township with no telephone. I don't know what to do." READ MORE»
San Francisco Chronicle
© 2008 Hearst Communications Inc.
A BOON FOR THE RUIN OF THE GOONS IN RANGOON?
Divine Intervention?
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Hammered by Cyclone Nargis, many superstitious Burmese cannot help but believe that nature has finally intervened and punished Burma. But it’s is not fair, they say. The cyclone didn’t hit Naypyidaw where all the top brass live.
Traditionally, Buddhist Burmese consider that if the country is ruled by a bad king, it is doomed to face natural disasters—floods, storms and fire. It’s a sign that the tyrant or inept ruler needs to be removed.
And there is reason to believe. The regime unleashed its wrath through brute force on peaceful gatherings of Buddhist monks and their supporters in September, killing dozens of innocent people. Killing monks is an unthinkable crime in a predominantly Buddhist country. Since then, many Burmese people have been warning that bad karma was coming and the generals would be punished.
Thanda, a Rangoon resident in her in late 30s, told The Irrawaddy that she spoke to many locals who believe nature has punished the country because the regime killed Buddhist monks. After having seen the devastation in her city, she said, “It is really sad to see Rangoon turned into a ghost town.”
“I can imagine Madam Than Shwe is now consulting with astrologers,” said a regular visitor to Burma who resides in Thailand. “Snr-Gen Than Shwe and his family are deeply superstitious and they always consult with astrologers and soothsayers before making a decision.”
In 2005, many ordinary Burmese believed Than Shwe relocated the capital from Rangoon to Naypyidaw in central Burma due to advice from his astrologer. Millions of dollars were spent to build the new capital from scratch. Rumor has it that Than Shwe's trustworthy astrologer reportedly told him that the former capital Rangoon would face a natural disaster and social unrest and he was strongly advised to move to a new location.
How ironic then that the catastrophe hit Rangoon and the delta and not the new capital and its high-ranking local elite. Yet again, the innocent people of the country were punished instead of the perfidious oligarchy.
Thanda, who arrived in Thailand on Monday as soon as flights resumed between Bangkok and Rangoon, said, "Sure, Burmese people are angry at the military leaders because the assistance is too slow. However,” she added, “they are also angry at Cyclone Nargis because it did not hit Naypyidaw."
Copyright © 2008 Irrawaddy Publishing Group | www.irrawaddy.org
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Hammered by Cyclone Nargis, many superstitious Burmese cannot help but believe that nature has finally intervened and punished Burma. But it’s is not fair, they say. The cyclone didn’t hit Naypyidaw where all the top brass live.
Traditionally, Buddhist Burmese consider that if the country is ruled by a bad king, it is doomed to face natural disasters—floods, storms and fire. It’s a sign that the tyrant or inept ruler needs to be removed.
And there is reason to believe. The regime unleashed its wrath through brute force on peaceful gatherings of Buddhist monks and their supporters in September, killing dozens of innocent people. Killing monks is an unthinkable crime in a predominantly Buddhist country. Since then, many Burmese people have been warning that bad karma was coming and the generals would be punished.
Thanda, a Rangoon resident in her in late 30s, told The Irrawaddy that she spoke to many locals who believe nature has punished the country because the regime killed Buddhist monks. After having seen the devastation in her city, she said, “It is really sad to see Rangoon turned into a ghost town.”
“I can imagine Madam Than Shwe is now consulting with astrologers,” said a regular visitor to Burma who resides in Thailand. “Snr-Gen Than Shwe and his family are deeply superstitious and they always consult with astrologers and soothsayers before making a decision.”
In 2005, many ordinary Burmese believed Than Shwe relocated the capital from Rangoon to Naypyidaw in central Burma due to advice from his astrologer. Millions of dollars were spent to build the new capital from scratch. Rumor has it that Than Shwe's trustworthy astrologer reportedly told him that the former capital Rangoon would face a natural disaster and social unrest and he was strongly advised to move to a new location.
How ironic then that the catastrophe hit Rangoon and the delta and not the new capital and its high-ranking local elite. Yet again, the innocent people of the country were punished instead of the perfidious oligarchy.
Thanda, who arrived in Thailand on Monday as soon as flights resumed between Bangkok and Rangoon, said, "Sure, Burmese people are angry at the military leaders because the assistance is too slow. However,” she added, “they are also angry at Cyclone Nargis because it did not hit Naypyidaw."
Copyright © 2008 Irrawaddy Publishing Group | www.irrawaddy.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)