Background

Cyclone Giri, reaching a category four status on the Saffir-Simpson scale, made landfall in western coast of Myanmar’s Rakhine State on 22 October 2010. The Townships of Kyaukpyu, Myebon, Minbya and Pauktaw were the most severely affected by the storm, which caused severe damage to houses and infrastructure including roads and bridges in coastal areas. The Government has confirmed that at least 45 people were dead or missing while over 100,000 people were homeless. At least 20,380 houses were completely destroyed, with a total of at least 260,000 people (52,000 households) affected. Approximately 17,500 acres of agricultural lands and nearly 50,000 acres of aquaculture ponds were also destroyed.

Ahead of the cyclone reaching coastal areas, the Government of Myanmar in collaboration with the Red Cross issued warnings to the population and organized the evacuation of people in coastal areas to safe locations. Immediately after the cyclone, assistance were delivered by all humanitarian partners, including the Government and local authorities, local NGOs, international NGOs as well as the United Nations. Coordination meetings among the humanitarian partners were called in Yangon immediately after the cyclone and the first situation report was issued on 23 October 2010. OCHA set up a hub office in Sittwe to fulfill the immediate need for coordination on the ground. The MIMU also deployed a staff member to facilitate the information management on the ground.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC), UNHCR, UNDP and OCHA representatives travelled to Sittwe on 28-29 October and met with UN, INGO/NGO representatives and held discussions with Government Ministers in charge of the response efforts. Initial rapid assessments were conducted by partners in the field and a webpage dedicated to the cyclone response was created on the MIMU website. The RC/HC and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) in Myanmar activated the cluster system for the response to Cyclone Giri on 5 November 2010. Cluster information management focal points were appointed at Yangon level and sector focal points at the field level were designated in Sittwe.

Various donors provided support for the response activities. An application to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) was submitted on 9 November to the CERF Secretariat. The application of approximately US$ 6 million for Cyclone Giri emergency response in Myanmar was later approved by the Under Secretary General/Emergency Response Coordinator-CERF Secretariat. Four Donor Briefings were organized specifically on Cyclone Giri from October to December 2010 during which the RC/HC and the Cluster Leads provided an overview on the response to the Cyclone, main achievements, gaps and funding needs. In mid December, the RC/HC together with UNHCR, WFP Country Representatives and the OCHA Head of Office, made a second visit to the cyclone-affected areas. Since the beginning of 2011, the RC/HC has pursued his engagement and support to the GIRI affected areas with the support of partners.

As the situation became stabilized, the nine Clusters established to support the emergency relief response to cyclone Giri agreed to be de-activated towards the end of January 2011 following the RC/HC’s endorsement. As of February 2011, approximately US$ 22 million was allocated for the Cyclone Giri response, including US$ 6 million from the CERF.

UNDP interventions

UNDP, through its outreach presence, responded immediately to support the affected communities through distribution of food items received from WFP and tarpaulins received from UNHCR. At the same time, UNDP conducted a rapid assessment of the four most affected townships. Headline findings include:

1. 49,020 farming households [1], mostly small holders, and 7,500 fishing households[2], mostly artisanal fishermen, will be rendered food insecure and become dependent on food aid for a longer period.
2. The landless poor, who make up 40% to 70% of the population in each of the four most affected townships[3], will be left without coping mechanisms and will also depend on food aid until the next harvest.
3. Increased food insecurity as next monsoon harvest will be minimal due to unabated salt intrusion as a result of un-rehabilitated dykes; across both Sittwe and Kyaukphyu townships, already 72,540 megatons[4] of paddy have been lost from this year’s monsoon crop.
4. Affected farming and fishing households are likely to encounter spiraling indebtedness, as they have unpaid debts from this year’s monsoon crop and will have to take on additional debt to plant next year’s monsoon crop.
5. Ponds and wells in an estimated 50 villages, with a population of about 40,000, were inundated with seawater. As a result, there are acute water shortages in particularly the hard-to-reach islands outside the coasts of Myebon, Pauktaw and Kyaukphyu.
6. 20,380 homes have been completely destroyed in addition to the thousands of homes partially and severely damaged. Extent of homes damaged or destroyed was highest in Myebon at 51%; Pauktaw at 46%; Kyaukphu at 41% and Minbya at 15%[5]

UNDP has already established fully operating offices in Sittwe, Myebon and Minbya. With this full extent of operational coverage, UNDP is the only agency operating in Giri-affected areas that can manage a multi-sectoral operation of this size.

Post-Giri Community-Based Emergency and Early Recovery Initiative RAPID ASSESSMENT

Activities identified by UNDP to undertake from March 2011 to December 2011

• cash-for-work that provides income for households that have no sources of income pre-cultivation, and that help to clean up paddy fields for the planting season as well as to rebuild community ponds and other damaged infrastructure before the next monsoon
• agricultural inputs and grants for hired labor
• skills training for on-farm and off-farm income generating activities
• creation of community tree nurseries in villages to replace trees cut down for shelter, while preventing erosion of embankments

[1] Data from GoM, November 2010; it was reported that 245,100 out of 480,221 acres cropped were damaged or destroyed by the Cyclone; if the average household crops 5 acres, 49,020 farming households were affected
[2] Data from GoM, November 2010
[3] According to UNDP’s rapid assessment conducted in November 2010. This assessment involved approximately 280 villages in the four most affected townships. Purposive sampling was used in the sense that those village most affected by Giri were targeted for the assessment, e.g. Southern Minbya.
[4] Data from GoM, November 2010
[5] Data from GoM, November 2010 and as reported by the shelter cluster