What's next? Myanmar's flood survivors try to move on

Disasters aren’t about one family. And they last long after flood water has subsided. 

Six weeks ago, large parts of Myanmar were under water. 

Some Fast Facts:

• 1.6 million people affected by flooding since July
• 489,000 homes destroyed or damaged
• 840,000 acres of farmland destroyed

Daw Moe, who lives in the Delta Region, saw her home destroyed. 

“I was worried that our house could collapse and float into water as we were living near the river’s edge and water struck roughly. When the water level increased, we built another floor with bamboo in our home. By staying higher than water level, we stayed safe. I was so worried that my children could drown in the water though. Finally, we had to evacuate for higher ground,” recalls Daw Moe, a mother of two girls. 

Daw Moe’s home and their riverside farmland was eventually washed away into the rushing waters. 

“We have never experienced such huge damage,” Daw Moe shares. 

Six weeks after the water subsided, 203 families from Daw Moe’s village are still displaced and have relocated.

Worried about the bottom line

What next? That’s what Daw Moe wants to know.

Her crops have been destroyed, her family has moved far from their land and they have lost their ability to replant. 

“We have to start our life from the bottom line again,” Daw Moe says.

U Htun, Daw Moe’s husband, explains that “Where we used to plant nuts and sesame, it was rich with naturally fertilitized soil and very moist.” 

Now, the family will have to buy land to plant rice, something they have little experience with. Daw Moe says the little savings they have will be used to start a small grocery shop. 

“I have to support my children’s education,” Daw Moe shares.

Support for immediate needs

Since the flooding, World Vision Myanmar has supported 2,652 flood affected families, including 2,518 children, from this area in the Delta region. We have provided families with:

• Rice
• Laundry Soap
• Mosquito Nets
• Water Purification Tablets
• Tarpulins for shelter purposes
• School stationary

World Vision Myanmar has also provided the relocated families with a steel water tank that stores up to 1,000 litres of water and filters. We have also helped repair a damaged school roads and dug wells to keep environment clean and safe.

In the near future, World Vision Myanmar plans to implement a cash for food program with the cooperation of World Food Program (WFP). World Vision will provide necessary materials for shelter renovation to families who remain homeless or in damaged houses. We will also distribute other materials such as blankets and mosquito nets to more people who lost their homes and property during the flood.