Two IOM staff will participate in the assessments launched under
the tripartite UN, ASEAN and government effort to assess the impact
of Cyclone Nargis.

The assessments will comprise a micro-level Village Tract
Assessment looking at the micro-situation of families, in terms of
food, shelter, health, water and sanitation, and a macro-level
Damage and Loss Assessment looking at the broader impact of the
cyclone on infrastructure in the Irrawaddy delta.

The assessments, which will be conducted simultaneously by teams
of government, ASEAN and UN staff, began training yesterday and are
expected to produce a preliminary report by 24 June. A final report
will be published on 12 July.    

While the assessments will not interfere with the ongoing relief
effort, they will contribute to an urgently needed overall picture
of the impact of the disaster, according to IOM Emergency
Coordinator Federico Soda.

"With three officials deployed from each of  the18
ministries, together with the same number of ASEAN, UN and other
international experts, this is a real opportunity to work with our
government counterparts to assess overall needs in the affected
areas and move towards meeting them," he
said.     

Meanwhile, IOM Yangon is continuing to take delivery of
emergency relief items including plastic sheet tarpaulins, jerry
cans, essential medicines, hygiene kits and other non-food items
for distribution from its operational hub in Bogale in the
Irrawaddy delta.

Yesterday IOM trucks delivered 50 100 x 24 ft rolls of plastic
sheet and 17,220 rain ponchos donated by the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) to Bogale. A further 2,760
tarpaulins – the first of 41,000 funded by a grant from the
UN Central Emergency Response Fund – arrived in Yangon from
the UN's Bangkok logistics hub last night. 

In Bogale and Mawlamyine Kyune townships, IOM mobile medical
teams report treating over 1,500 patients since mid-May in 33
villages. Over the past week the teams have also been distributing
insecticide-treated mosquito nets, jerry cans and chlorine for
water purification.

"People are mainly suffering from the effects of unclean water
and food, lack of proper shelter and clothing, and a lack of proper
sanitation," says IOM National Health Coordinator Dr. Aye Aye Than,
who heads up the Bogale health team.  

For more information, please contact:

Chris Lom

IOM's Regional Office for Southeast Asia in Bangkok

Tel:  +66.819275215

E-mail: "mailto:clom@iom.int">clom@iom.int