Aid official describes the earthquake's relief efforts in MyanmarExBulletin

Rescuers are looking for survivors trapped in the Sky Villa building in Mandalay on March 29, a day after the earthquake was struck in central Myanmar. Sai Aung Main/AFP via Getty Images hide the explanatory name

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Mobile medical units and clean drinking water are among the greatest needs in central Myanmar, days after the 7.7 -magnitude earthquake, according to an official from the International Salvation Committee.

“People sleep abroad, hospitals are crowded with overcrowding and people who live there suffer from a lack of clean water,” said Mohamed Ryles, Acting Director General of Myanmar at the International Salvation Committee.

The death toll has already exceeded 2000 people, according to the government media, as the number is expected to rise with the discovery of the bodies in the rubble. The earthquake created a crisis over another crisis. The country has been in a civil war since 2021 and the fighting did not stop, despite the natural catastrophe.

Ryles pointed out that neighboring countries such as India and China have pledged to help, and said there was an increase in European donations to help organizations.

On Friday, President Trump said that the United States will help in the earthquake, which also struck Thailand, was his administration to dismantle the remaining US Agency for International Development.

Patients lie on the family and chairs at the Mandalay General Hospital in Mandalay on Monday, three days after the deadly earthquake. Sai Aung Main/AFP via Getty Images hide the explanatory name

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On Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tami Bruce said the team will travel to Myanmar and that the administration provides two million dollars to local aid organizations.

Ryles said he has not seen US funding yet for this particular crisis in IRC, but he has made an appeal to the United States to help.

“This is one of the main humanitarian crises in the history of Myanmar,” Rias said. “I think American financing will be it is very important to respond to this emergency.”

This interview was gently released for length and clarity.

The most prominent interview

Mary Louise Kelly: When you say that there is an increasing need for basic things like clean water, just give me a feeling of what it means. How many people are we talk, how difficult the situation is.

Mohamed Rias: Only to give you a number of one town in Mandalay, you have seen nearly 80 percent of home damage[d] Because of the earthquake in one town. So, this is the scale we are talking about. Then, if you look at the total population of Mandalay, I will say that approximately 60 to 70 percent of these population will need urgent support. This is the scale we are talking about.

Kelly: You are talking about the difference, and what, indeed, in the country before the earthquake. What about the aid that arrives now due to the earthquake? Where does it come from? Do you enter?

RIYAS: Some international aid comes. I mean that India and some other countries have sent search and rescue teams. Therefore, in this form, aid is a type of coming. I have also seen that international donors increase their contribution.

The TUK-Tok is driving a damaged building in Mandalay on March 29, a day after the earthquake was hit in central Myanmar. Sai Aung Main/AFP via Getty Images hide the explanatory name

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Kelly: As for listening to the Americans, it is important to put this in the context: the country was already in a crisis. There has been a civil war of skill in Myanmar since 2021. I saw that the fighting had continued, and that the military combat aircraft dropped bombs in the rebel sites even after the earthquake. Does this affect relief efforts?

Riyadh: Of course, there are still restrictions when it comes to obtaining approvals and moving human things. But at least my team managed to reach Mandalay this evening. Of course, they are outside the road checkpoints. As you know, they want to check what we somewhat carry. We still did not take anything to Sagaing and other regions, but at least in Mandalay we did not face any great challenges.

Kelly: As soon as they are there, up, and lax, what will they be able to do? What is the number one element?

RIYAS: Item number one is a mobile medical assistance. There are many people who were injured. They come to the hospital to eat medicine. The health system cannot deal with this number. Therefore, we have published our mobile medical health team to support the effort that is already taking place in the hospital and then ensuring that people suffer from clean drinking water because we have seen in emergency situations, if you do not provide clean water for people, you will end up with many problems such as diseases that the water transfers. This will be a disaster at the head of another disaster.

Kelly: problems creating more problems. actually.

Riyadh: This is true.

Mary Louise Kelly, host:

As with many natural disasters, the huge earthquake is likely to grow last Friday in Myanmar where we learn more. The death toll has already exceeded 2000 people, according to the country's military government. He has already created a humanitarian crisis for the people who survived, and who must now live in the wake of this. With me now, the rural director of Myanmar at the International Rescue Committee, Mohamed Riaz. Thank you with us.

Mohamed Rias: Thank you very much for hosting me.

Kelly: I wonder if you will only start by describing your experience in the earthquake. You were in Myanmar when you hit last Friday?

Rias: Yes, this is true. I was in Myanmar. I was in my office, the building began to shake, and we all went out. I was in Yangon. Fortunately, Yangon was not greatly affected. The severe damage was in Mandalay and the epic.

Kelly: Yes. So I felt that the building was shaking. What do you hear from your teams on the ground near the earthquake center now? How do they describe the scene?

Riyadh: What I hear is that there is an increasing human need there. People sleep abroad, hospitals are crowded, and people who live, suffer from clean water deficiency. We can still reach Mandalay. This is a good thing. So the methods are fine. People can reach there. But Mandalay is the second largest city in Myanmar, so you can imagine the human need there.

Kelly: When you say that there is an increasing need for basic things like clean water, just give me a feeling of what it means, the number of people we talk, and how difficult the situation.

Riyadh: Only to give you a number, one city in Mandalay witnessed about 80 % of the houses damaged by the earthquake in one city. This is the scale we are talking about. Then, if I look at the total population of Mandalay, I say nearly 60 to 70 % of these population will need urgent support. This is the scale we are talking about.

Kelly: You are talking about the difference – what? – Indeed in the country before the earthquake. What about the aid that arrives now due to the earthquake? Where does it come from? Do you enter?

RIYAS: Some international aid comes. I mean, India, as you know, some other countries sent the search and rescue team. So in this model, aid is a kind of, as you know, coming. I have also seen that international donors increase their contribution and support for Myanmar – European donors and others who have seen an increase in financing of agencies that respond to emergency.

Kelly: Since I am talking to you from Washington, I will ask about the response of the United States, especially as you will see news reports and closely followed, and the Trump administration has launched a lot of American foreign aid, and many of the US Agency for International Development may dismantle. Do you see any effect of that in Myanmar?

Riyadh: We have not seen any American financing. I mean, at least I have not seen us yet funding for this particular crisis, but we actually believe that we can definitely finance it because this is one of the main humanitarian crises in Myanmar history, and I believe that American financing will be it is very important to respond to this emergency. I mean, the organization that I work, so far we are still not – in Myanmar IRC – we are still not receiving any funding support from the United States government.

Kelly: For listening to Americans, it is important to put this in the context. The country was already in a crisis. There has been a civil war of skill in Myanmar since 2021, and I saw that the fighting continued, and that the military combat aircraft abandoned the bombs in the rebel sites even after the earthquake. Does this affect relief efforts?

Riyadh: Of course, there are still restrictions when it comes to obtaining approvals and moving human things. But at least my team managed to reach Mandalay this evening. Of course, there is a checkpoint on the road, as you know, they want to make sure what we are, as you know, carry. We still did not take anything to Sagaing and other regions, but at least in Mandalay we did not face any great challenges.

Kelly: Once they are running, what will they be able to do? What is Item No. 1?

Riyadh: Item No. 1 is mobile medical health. There are many people who were injured, who arrive at the hospital for medicine. The health system cannot deal with this number, so we have deployed our mobile medical health team to support the effort that is already taking place in the hospital. Then make sure that people suffer from clean drinking water because we have seen in emergency situations, if there is no clean water for people, you will end up with many problems such as diseases that the water transfers. This will be a disaster at the head of another disaster.

Kelly: problems creating more problems, in fact.

Rias: Yes, this is true. Yes.

Kelly: This is Mohamed Rias, Acting Chargé d'Affaire of the International Salvation Committee. Thank you very much for your time.

Rias: Thank you very much for hosting me.

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