Death Toll Climbs

Death Toll Climbs into the Thousands for Cyclone Victims in Burma

Written by CFI President Jim Jacobson
Tuesday, 06 May 2008 20:41

Christian Freedom International is preparing to dispatch backpack medical teams and other supplies into storm-ravaged areas where help is needed most in Burma.

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI -- A devastating cyclone has claimed the lives of as many as 22,500 victims in Burma, leaving hundreds of thousands more without homes, food or clean drinking water. Over 41,000 other victims have been declared missing in the storm’s aftermath.
Cyclone Nargis hit the Southeast Asian country in the early morning hours of May 3, 2008, where the 120-mile per hour winds tore the roofs off homes, hospitals and schools, and cut electricity in Yangon, Burma’s largest city. Reports from the low-lying Irawaddy region are indicating that as many as 95 percent of the homes in neighboring villages have been destroyed. Many other villages are still under water, cut off from all communications and with no relief aid in sight.

According to experts, reconstruction of many of the devastated towns could take years, and at least 40 days to reinstall electrical lines in some areas.

In the wake of the destruction, Burma’s government is now facing criticism from the international community for failing to properly alert its citizens of the impending storm. First Lady Laura Bush, a long-time critic of Burma’s repressive military regime, has also condemned the country’s leaders for not accepting U.S. disaster relief aid, claiming that their response to the cyclone is “the most recent example of the junta’s failure to meet its people’s basic needs.” After a meeting with foreign diplomats and U.N. representatives, Burmese officials were said to welcome international assistance; however, the restrictive conditions on what type of relief aid will be permitted into the country from outside agencies is potentially costing the lives of thousands of desperate victims.

CFI is among the independent humanitarian organizations preparing to deliver emergency assistance to cyclone victims in Burma. Fortunately, none of CFI’s existing schools, orphanages or medical clinics were destroyed in the storm, but we are preparing to dispatch backpack medical teams and other supplies into storm-ravaged areas where help is needed most.

As hundreds of thousands of victims in Burma face one of the worst disasters in recent history, you can help with our effort to get desperately needed aid into the region. Time is of the essence and your donation makes all the difference. Will you step forward for those suffering in Burma today?