Catholic aid organizations in a race against time to provide relief in Myanmar

(OSV News) -- As the death toll following the massive earthquake in Myanmar is expected to reach 3,000, humanitarian organizations in the region, like Catholic Relief Services, are working round the clock to get essential supplies to those in need.

Cara Bragg, country manager for CRS Myanmar, said that while it's "still too early to tell," the devastation wrought by the 7.7 magnitude quake is "sure to cause some major, long-term impacts for people here."

"Thousands have lost their homes, so there will be more people in need of temporary housing. Many have lost their businesses, so they won’t have a source of income. We’ve already heard reports of people unable to find anywhere to buy food, so we are worried about hunger," Bragg said in an email to OSV News April 1.

"And we don’t know yet what the impact has been for farmers, so we could be talking about a long-term, large-scale disruption in crops, and that of course will impact hunger levels," she said. "It is so critical to provide immediate relief now -- providing food, water, medicine, shelter materials and other household items, like mosquito nets, soap and blankets."

The epicenter of the March 28 earthquake struck Mandalay, the country's second largest city, destroying roads, buildings and religious sites. While the death toll as of April 2 stood at 2,886 people with another 4,639 injured, according to state television MRTV as cited by The Associated Press, the number is believed to surpass 3,000 as hundreds more are still missing or feared dead, the Reuters news agency reported.

Based in Yangon, the country's largest city, CRS Myanmar is coordinating relief efforts with local and international partners, including Caritas, which is known locally as the Karuna Mission Social Solidarity, or KMSS. CRS is the official international relief and development agency of the Catholic Church in the U.S.

Bragg told OSV News that due to the devastating "loss of life, the high number of injuries and the wide-scale destruction," assessing a "clear picture of the impact of the earthquake was challenging at first."

"Phone networks were down or unreliable. The major highway between Yangon -- where the CRS office is -- and Mandalay, which is the second-largest city in Myanmar and very close to the earthquake’s epicenter, was damaged, impeding our ability to send teams to support our staff and partners in the most affected areas," she explained.

However, "connectivity has improved" over the last few days and routes have been cleared "so there has been a way to get information about the critical needs and start moving aid workers and supplies to where they need to be."

The earthquake hit the country at a time of uncertainty due to the ongoing civil war between resistance groups and Myanmar's governing military junta, which overthrew the previous democratically elected government in 2021.

Several reports accused the military junta of not prioritizing relief efforts and has continued bombing rebel-controlled areas and hampering relief efforts by aid organizations. The head of Myanmar's military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, has turned down ceasefire proposals from rebel groups that were aimed at allowing aid to reach regions affected by the deadly earthquake on Friday.

Bragg said that beyond "the initial complications caused by damage to the highways and roads, we haven't experienced any significant issues in proceeding with the response."

"Throughout our 80 years, CRS has worked in a number of different, complex scenarios, and thankfully in Myanmar, we have a strong relationship with the local churches and Caritas -- KMSS -- so we've been able to lean on them. They've helped us ensure that our work is reaching the most vulnerable in the most effective way possible," she said.

Bragg told OSV News that several CRS and KMSS staff members in Mandalay are working to provide relief, despite the fact that some have even lost their homes.

"It's been inspiring to see the resiliency of the people here," Bragg said. "Despite going through this very traumatic event, they are out there doing whatever they can to help their neighbors."

"We have a few team members in Mandalay right now. They have been figuring out the immediate needs and trying to determine the best way for us to respond together with our partner staff," she added. "We are planning for additional team members to travel to Mandalay soon to join them and provide critical technical expertise and operational support to our local church partners. We are bringing emergency supplies to the affected areas and doing our best to reach the people in need as soon as possible."

Bragg urged prayers and asked that those "who are in a position to donate," visit the CRS website.

"Catholics across the U.S. are always among the first to stand up and support their sisters and brothers overseas, and we are extremely grateful for their generosity," she noted.

Despite the fact that "recovery is going to take a long time," Bragg told OSV News that she remains hopeful that "together, we can help the people of Myanmar rebuild."

"The resiliency of the Myanmar people is so remarkable, and I know they will persevere through this crisis thanks to local support systems and solidarity from the international community," she said.