O 070801Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7879
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK IMMEDIATE 
AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU IMMEDIATE 
USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 
INFO NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS RANGOON 000534 
 
 
AIDAC 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, PRM, DRL 
STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID 
AID/W FOR DCHA/FFP AND DCHA/OTI 
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA KLUU, ACONVERY, RTHAYER 
BANGKOK FOR DCHA/OFDA WBERGER AND TROGERS 
KATHMANDU FOR DCHA/OFDA SMCINTYRE AND MROGERS 
USMISSION GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
USMISSION USUN FOR FSHANKS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID SENV KSCA TBIO VM EAGR PREF
SUBJECT:  BURMA CYCLONE: USAID/OFDA SITUATION REPORT #35 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. On July 3, Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA) and Government of 
Burma (GOB) representatives attended a "sounding session" to consult 
on the Village Tract Assessment preliminary findings.  As of June 
30, the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) had completed phase I of the 
early recovery Basic Services Package (BSP), reaching 250 villages. 
On June 30, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) received notification 
from the GOB of a definitive ban on the cash transfer program in 
Rangoon Division, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination 
of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA).  As a result, WFP has 
discontinued all cash transfers to cyclone-affected individuals for 
the purchase of food.  The ban will not impact ongoing or planned 
cash-for-work programs.  From July 1 to 3, a USAID Office of U.S. 
Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) disaster specialist and two 
staff from the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon conducted a general needs 
assessment and review of USAID/OFDA implementing partner programs in 
Bogale Township, Irrawaddy Delta.  The protection cluster has 
established 58 functioning child-friendly spaces in Rangoon Division 
and 74 in Irrawaddy Division.  According to the logistics cluster, 
the 1,828 metric tons (MT) of cargo in Bangkok awaiting transport to 
Rangoon is sufficient to maintain cluster air operations through the 
previously announced August 10 end date.  The cluster will help 
organizations arrange surface and sea transportation after logistics 
cluster cease.  End Summary. 
 
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HUMANITARIAN SITUATION 
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¶2. On July 3, PONJA and GOB representatives attended a "sounding 
session" to consult on the Village Tract Assessment preliminary 
findings.  GOB decision makers had not attended the first 
presentation on June 24.  As of June 30, the UNDP had completed 
phase I of the early recovery BSP, reaching 250 villages identified 
as the most vulnerable and a total of 23,973 households, or an 
estimated 113,000 individuals.  BSP activities include clearing 
ponds, providing shelter, and clearing debris from community spaces, 
such as footpaths, schools, and monastery compounds.  UNDP will 
conduct a comprehensive follow-up in all 250 villages, including 
assessments of monsoon planting, community works programs, future 
needs planning, and ongoing support of Self Reliance Groups. 
 
¶3. On June 30, WFP received notification from the GOB of a 
definitive ban on the cash transfer program in Rangoon Division, 
according to OCHA.  As a result, WFP has discontinued all cash 
transfers to cyclone-affected individuals for the purchase of food. 
The ban will not impact ongoing or planned cash-for-work programs. 
In response to the ban on cash transfers, WFP plans to initiate a 
short-term food assistance program, targeting 200,000 beneficiaries 
in Rangoon Division. 
 
As of July 3, the food cluster had delivered 18,703 MT of food 
assistance to affected areas, of which 14,564 MT had been 
distributed.  The market assessment survey, conducted by WFP and 
cooperating partners, concluded on July 6 after covering 35 markets 
across 21 townships in Irrawaddy Delta.  WFP subsequently undertook 
commodity price monitoring to provide further context to the market 
survey assessment findings.  WFP has scheduled additional 
assessments, including a Food and Nutrition Survey conducted jointly 
with the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) from July to August. 
 
 
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U.S. GOVERNMENT RESPONSE 
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¶5. A team of USAID/OFDA disaster specialists remains in Burma 
monitoring the humanitarian situation, meeting with humanitarian 
partners, coordinating USAID/OFDA humanitarian assistance, and 
implementing the USAID/OFDA transition from emergency response to 
early recovery.  From July 1 to 3, a USAID/OFDA disaster specialist 
and two staff from the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon conducted a general 
needs assessment and review of USAID/OFDA implementing partner 
programs in Bogale Township, Irrawaddy Delta, the results of which 
will be outlined in a forthcoming cable. 
 
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PROTECTION 
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¶6. The U.N. Protection Cluster continues to create child-friendly 
spaces in villages and temporary settlements to promote protective 
environments.  The cluster has established 58 functioning 
child-friendly spaces in Rangoon Division and 74 in Irrawaddy 
Division. 
 
¶7. The Women's Protection Technical Working Group has established 
terms of reference, agreeing to develop a strategy to integrate 
women's protection programs across all clusters.  The working group 
is also developing advocacy tools, resources for partners and 
clusters, and a strategy to engage with and build on the experiences 
of local non-governmental organizations.  In addition, the cluster 
plans to provide technical support to the GOB Department of Social 
Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement to develop a National Plan of 
Action on Women. 
 
¶8. USAID/OFDA is supporting two humanitarian organizations to 
provide safe and protected environments for vulnerable populations 
affected by the cyclone.  World Vision is working with affected 
children in Bogale Township, while UNICEF is co-coordinating the 
protection of women and children cluster and implementing 
activities, including establishing child-friendly spaces, family 
tracing and reunification, and community-based psychosocial care. 
 
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LOGISTICS 
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¶9. To date, the logistics cluster helicopters have conducted 466 
flights reaching 89 remote locations.  The five helicopters can 
operate only while existing fuel supplies remain, however, as WFP 
has not received permission from the GOB to place fuel bladders at 
the logistics hubs.  Therefore, helicopters operate for 
approximately half a day before returning to Rangoon.  WFP continues 
to work with the GOB to obtain the proper clearance for stationing 
the fuel bladders at the logistics hubs.  The logistics cluster is 
planning to extend the contract on the helicopters through July 14. 
 
¶10. WFP notes that passenger transport via the helicopters continues 
to run smoothly and encourages organizations to continue to submit 
passenger transport requests as early as possible.  The logistics 
cluster prioritizes personnel accompanying or planning to distribute 
the cargo.  The helicopter operations manager requested at the July 
1 meeting that organizations make every effort to correctly identify 
the weight and volume of cargo reserved for helicopter flights. 
 
¶11. According to the logistics cluster, the 1,828 MT of cargo in 
Bangkok awaiting transport to Rangoon is sufficient to maintain 
cluster air operations through the previously announced August 10 
end date.  However, a USAID/OFDA disaster specialist in Rangoon 
noted from discussions with the logistics cluster that the contracts 
for the two aircraft constituting the airbridge from Bangkok to 
Rangoon are currently scheduled to expire on July 21 and 23, though 
additional funding may be available to extend operations to the end 
of the month.  The logistics cluster plans to arrange sea and 
surface transportation for any of the 1,828 MT of cargo still 
remaining in Bangkok after the aircraft contracts expire, whether on 
July 21 and 23 or at the end of the month.  The logistics cluster is 
currently utilizing 60 percent of the funding originally pledged in 
support of the special operations appeal, which covers 90 days of 
operations. 
 
¶12. According to USAID/OFDA disaster specialists, at the July 1 and 
2 cluster meetings in Bangkok and Rangoon, respectively, cluster 
lead representatives encouraged humanitarian organizations to begin 
to arrange alternative transportation methods.  Due to airbridge 
capacity restraints through the August 10 end date, the cluster is 
not accepting additional Cargo Movement Requests (CMRs) from 
humanitarian organizations. However, the logistics cluster indicated 
readiness to accept additional CMRs on an emergency, case-by-case 
basis to assist organizations unable to secure alternative 
transportation for critical or time-sensitive cargo scheduled to 
arrive in Bangkok in the near future.  Cluster partners also intend 
to assist organizations in arranging non-cluster sea and surface 
transportation after the cluster logistics system closes down on 
August 10.  The cluster lead also noted WFP's intention to make 
storage assets, including the cluster warehouse in Rangoon, 
available to humanitarian organizations after cluster operations 
cease. 
 
VILLAROSA