0:00
Well, rescue workers then have been struggling to cope with the extent and scale of the damage
0:04
The past four years of civil war have significantly weakened the country's health care and emergency systems, forcing the military junta to issue a rare call for international aid
0:15
For more on the humanitarian angle, Marie Manrique, program coordinator for the International Federation of the Red Cross, joined us on the program
0:22
Marie, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us today. Now, you have rescue teams on the ground
0:28
What type of work are they able to carry out now? So thanks for having me
0:35
So the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent supports the Myanmar Red Cross Society here in Myanmar
0:41
The Myanmar Red Cross Society immediately was engaged in emergency response which includes support for search and rescue operations as well as doing any sort of emergency health needs that are necessary including ambulance service free hospital care and first as well as trying to reach people in need particularly those that have lost their homes This is really some of the biggest activities that have been done
1:08
We know the humanitarian needs are quite large on the ground, and we will see higher numbers as the state continues
1:14
You say that humanitarian needs are large on the ground. What do you think are some of the most urgent needs then 24 hours on from the quake
1:21
So the urgent needs right now that we're looking at, of course, would be around housing for the people that have lost their homes
1:30
We're also looking at the need for water and sanitation. Clean water is incredibly important
1:36
Myanmar, and particularly in the areas that were deeply affected due to their closeness to the epicenter
1:45
is what is considered the central dry zone of the country. We just had last week that temperatures rose to 42 degrees
1:51
southeast in one location. Heat waves with the largest temperatures have actually been registered last year and we looking at the same thing to move forward We also a few weeks away from the monsoon season We need to get people back into some sort of shelter for them knowing that these homes have been damaged
2:11
So there were very few foreign rescuers in Myanmar prior to this earthquake, Marie
2:17
Why has the junta refused most international assistance in the past? I really can't speak to decisions of other actors
2:27
but I will say, too, that really the focus now, and I think of everyone within Myanmar
2:32
is we're very much focused on the emergency response and really reaching the people in need
2:37
I think that everyone knows in a large-scale earthquake of this type, we have a small window of opportunity to reach the people that are still trapped under the rebel
2:44
We know that local responders, and when I say local responders, I'm talking about neighbors, community members, religious groups, community groups
2:54
actually coming together to try and, um, reach those people that are still under the rebel We still have a great deal of hope that more people will be rescued in the coming days but we know we have a few days for them Maria as a final question for you what changes do you think can be made in terms of disaster
3:13
management in Myanmar looking ahead? I just want to emphasize, though, Myanmar is a country that's prone to and vulnerable to natural
3:24
disasters. So these hazards include, you know, not just the earthquakes, floods. We have large
3:28
failed flooding last year. We're also talking about these extreme weather events. One of the changes
3:34
that I think that we will probably see with this will be more strengthening of the preparedness
3:39
measures. There are some institutions that work on this in a longstanding way. I think that this is
3:46
what we'll see going forward and really trying to make sure that the communities and situations
3:50
of vulnerability also have the capacities as the first responders and to be able to reduce those risks
3:58
Program coordinator for the International Federation of the Red Cross. Thank you so very much for joining us today
