SINGAPORE: The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has sent an additional tranche of humanitarian aid to provide urgent relief to the communities affected by last month’s earthquake in Myanmar, the organisation said in a news release on Thursday (Apr 10).
The latest tranche includes supplies like hygiene kits for families, women’s hygiene kits, jerrycans for the collection and storage of clean water, plastic mats, mosquito nets and tarpaulins.
The supplies are expected to support about 8,000 households across the regions affected by the quake, SRC said.
The organisation also dispatched about 300 water filters to regions such as Mandalay and Sagaing to improve access to clean drinking water, as well as nearly 900 solar-powered lights to support communities without power.
“Together, these contributions are worth an estimated S$550,000 (US$410,000), and are expected to benefit around 80,000 persons,” SRC said.
More than 3,000 people were killed in Myanmar after the powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the country on Mar 28, with tremors felt hundreds of kilometres away in the Thai capital Bangkok.
Thousands more were injured while hundreds are still missing. Strong rains, destroyed infrastructure and an ongoing civil war have complicated relief efforts.
SRC said a three-person team – comprising two SRC staff members and one volunteer – is now in Yangon to assess the situation and to coordinate further relief efforts.
The team is also working closely with the Myanmar Red Cross (MRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to identify urgent needs and determine how SRC can best support the affected communities.
