United Nations humanitarian chief John Holmes has visited Burma's
hard-hit Irrawaddy Delta region to assess progress in the recovery from
Cyclone Nargis, which devastated the region in early May.
Holmes
said Tuesday that significant progress has been made since his last
visit in mid-May, but added there are many relief needs that must still
be addressed such as reaching remote communities along the southern
coast of the Irrawaddy Delta.
He said the "remarkable
resilience" of the cyclone victims is evident in the way they are
rebuilding their homes and livelihoods.
Wednesday, Holmes is
scheduled to meet with aid workers in the city of Rangoon, and Thursday
he meets with government officials in the new capital city, Naypyidaw.
On
Monday, the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) said Burma needs more than $1 billion in aid
over the next three years to recover from Cyclone Nargis.
The
figure focuses on Burma's most urgent needs - food, agriculture and
community rebuilding. The assessment says the cyclone caused an
estimated $4 billion in damage.
The World Health Organization
says it will help the Burmese government rebuild and re-equip its
health facilities, train health workers, and help improve
communications and supply systems.
WHO official Richard
Garfield, who took part in an assessment mission in Burma, says he was
surprised to find the Burmese government had provided more help to the
people affected by the cyclone than he previously thought.
Cyclone
Nargis tore through Burma's agricultural region May 3, killing more
than 84,000 people and leaving more than 53,000 missing.
The
storm wiped out about 4,000 schools and destroyed 75 percent of
southern Burma's health facilities. It also destroyed or damaged
hundreds of thousands of homes.
The United Nations appealed
earlier this month for more than $300 million in additional aid for
Burma, on top of about $180 million already donated.
Australia
announced Tuesday it is more than doubling its cyclone aid to Burma,
bring its total contribution to around $55 million.
