Tropical Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on 2 and 3 May 2008, making landfall in the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) delta region and hitting the country’s largest city, Yangon. The Government estimates more than 22,000 dead. Major damage has been reported in affected areas, particularly in the low-lying delta region, where a storm surge compounded the cyclone’s impact.

There is significant destruction of buildings and homes. Transport and communications networks have also been badly damaged, rendering many areas inaccessible to assessment and relief teams. Precise figures on the extent of the disaster or the numbers in need of protection are still not available.

On 8 May, the CERF allocated an initial US$10 million for humanitarian response to the affected.

[Read more:  OCHA Situation Reports  -  Flash Appeal  -  ReliefWeb  -  IRIN  -  CERF]

— USG-ERC John Holmes

An unprecedented rise in food commodity prices coupled with diminishing food stocks is leading to concerns that the humanitarian community will soon face serious challenges, including how to address the needs of new groups of vulnerable populations, increased pressure on food-aid operations, worsening of ongoing crises and instability caused by food-related unrest. 

On 29 April 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the creation of a High Level Task Force on the global food crisis. Its primary aim will be to coordinate the efforts of the United Nations system in addressing the crisis in all aspects. USG John Holmes was appointed Coordinator of the Task Force.  [Read more]