A delta resident smiles after receiving relief goods from the Kachin State branch of the Myanmar Red Cross Society. Pic: U Ganesh

THE Myanmar Red Cross Society held a ceremony at Central Hotel in Yangon last week to honour its Kachin State branch for its rapid response to cylone Nargis.

“As soon as we heard that the cyclone had hit Ayeyarwady and Yangon divisions, our 60-member unit mobilised to get to the area as quickly as possible,” said U Ganesh, the general staff officer of the Kachin branch
He said the unit travelled from Kachin State and reached Ayeyarwady Division on May 25 and spent five weeks working in Bogale and Pyapon townships.

At the ceremony, members of the Kachin branch shared their experiences with 16 MRCS health officers who will go to the delta region next month.

U Myint Wai, an officer from the Kachin branch who led 40 staff in providing relief to villagers in Bogale township, said he felt very sorry for the storm victims when he heard the news.

“I have served as Red Cross staff for 40 years and I have had experiences with disasters. So when I heard how strong the wind was during Nargis, I had a pretty good idea of the severity of the damage,” he said.

U Myint Wai said his team distributed tarpaulin sheets, rice and medicine to storm victims, and helped them repair schools and monasteries.

“We also provided psychological support to victims. Some people were scared that another disaster would occur. Many of them couldn’t sleep at night. We tried to encourage them forget their fears,” he said.

He also said many villagers he met were suffering from diarrhoea, rabies, tetanus, snake bites and skin disease.