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World Vision staff surveys property damage in the town of Tar Lay.
Property damage in the town of Tar Lay



Mother and daughter reunite on house ruble.
Nan San Yout sits on the ruble of her house with her mother in Tar Lay.


Earthquake: March 29 Update

Overview
On March 24, 2011 a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the region of Shan State in Myanmar, near the borders of Thailand and Laos. The earthquake was reported to have lasted 3 minutes, and was felt in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, China, and Vietnam. More than 70 people have been killed, with more than 100 injured and hundreds of homes destroyed.

The most affected area is in Tarchilek district—in particular, Tarlay and Mong Lin townships have suffered significant damage and loss of life. The total population of these two townships is 15,593.

The Government has established a relief response committee in Tarlay. The Relief and Resettlement Department is the lead government agency coordinating the government’s efforts. World Vision is targeting 1,750 households in 30 of the most affected villages. World Vision has worked in Myanmar since 1991 and has previous experience responding to disasters there, having launched a large-scale response after Cyclone Nargis devastated the Irrawaddy Delta in 2008.

World Vision works with more than 500 children in its development programs in Tarlay and is continuing to physically verify the safety of all of them. Some families have left the area for fear of further earthquakes and because their houses have been damaged. To date, World Vision has not received reports of any deaths of children in its programs.

Immediate Needs
Drinking Water: Access to drinking water has been significantly disrupted, with many pipes, tanks, and wells damaged by the earthquake. As a result, 96 cases of diarrhea were documented on March 28 in 3 villages in Nar Yaung.

Temporary Shelter: For people with damaged or destroyed houses, temporary shelters in the form of tents and tarpaulins are essential. This is especially urgent as the area continues to experience cold and rainy weather.

World Vision Response
8 Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) have been established, offering education, nutrition and psychosocial support to children who have been affected by the earthquake. Each CFS can support up to 100 children.
  • Providing water purification tablets to purify water for 40,000 people for two weeks.
  • Deploying 5 water purification units. Each unit can pump 240 liters of clean water/hour.
  • Deploying 2 “blue box” units. Each unit can pump 400 liters of clean water/hour.
  • Distributing 500 packets of oral rehydration solution.
  • Distributing 1,400 drinking water bottles.
  • Providing 4 1,000 liter water tanks to Tarchilek hospital.
  • Providing basic first aid supplies, including antibiotics, bandages, IV kits, syringes, antiseptic and hydrocortisone to Tarchilek hospital and in Tarlay.
  • Procuring and distributing 1,300 heavy duty, plastic tarpaulins from Kyaing Tong.
  • An additional 1,700 heavy duty, plastic tarpaulins have been dispatched in a convoy of 4 trucks from Yangon.
  • World Vision has established a warehouse in Tarchilek.
  • Deploying a World Vision mobile medical clinic to Nar Yaung village.
  • In Tarlay, World Vision has distributed:
    • 11,350 packets of noodles.
    • I250 plastic mats.
    • I250 mosquito nets.
    • I500 packs of candles.
    • I250 plastic tarpaulins.
    • 11,500 liters of bottled drinking water.

Water distributed to earthquake victims.
Tarchileik ADP team prepared to distribute 200 20-litre drinking water bottles.

Property damage in the town of Tar Lay.
Tar Lay house damage after earthquake.

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