Attachments
Summary
The earthquake happened on 11 November 2012 (06:30 MST), epicenter at 95.883°N, 23.014°E, 9.8 km (depth), that is 45 miles from North of Shwe Bo Township, Sagaing Region, Myanmar, and resulted the death toll 26, missing 12 and 231 injured as of 16th November. 201 houses, 25 schools, 13 hospitals/clinics, 35 monasteries and 45 pagodas were totally collapsed or partially damaged. Residential houses were collapsed but not resulted much deaths compared to the last earthquake in Myanmar in Tarley in Shan state 2011 because many of their houses in those area were built with timbers and bamboos basically which did not give deadly damages. Electricity was not fully equipped to the houses that did not led to fire as second disaster. Additionally, though many of public buildings were damaged, human loss was less as the earthquake happened on Sunday morning, that children were not in the schools and people were not in the office.
It was found that people in the affected area are still remained to stay outside of the houses and facing the fear of the aftershocks. Prolonged stay in outside of the house with tent are affecting health problem of already vulnerable evacuees. At the same time, many people started to return their home which are tilted or damaged that will be the great risk. The metrological agency reported severe rain- storm in the affected area which was unexpected weather in the season, which brought more difficulties to the people who were in the tent of vinyl sheets with wooden polls.
With efforts by the Myanmar government mainly from Ministry of Social Welfare Relief and Resettlement, Relief and Resettlement Department (RRD), local governments, Myanmar Red Cross Society relief items started to reach the affected communities through Township Administration Office after a few days from the disaster. Vice President Dr. Sai Mauk Kham and Minister for Ministry of Social Welfare Relief and Resettlement visited the area and Managing Director of Public Works, Ministry of Construction also arrived at the site where Yadana Theinga bridge was severely damaged due to the earthquake. At the same time, municipality staffs across the district to region were also sent to support the affected municipalities.
As many of Township Administration Offices and other government offices were damaged, the relief and administrative operations were controlled in the outside of building under tents with limited communications tools. The damaged communication tools caused lack of information and coordination within the community and outside of community at the time of emergency. By this situation, the numbers of death and missing, evacuees, collapsed building etc. were piled up much later than it is supposed to be in this damage level. Even after the phone lines were recovered, there are still shortages of communication tools in the affected area. There would be a need for selection of the places and structure of government offices so that they will be more capable and resistant enough to deal with those disasters.
The victims in the area; children to government officials were not much aware of the risk of earthquake of the area where is on the active fault which has been caused many of earthquake with the reoccurrences of 80 to 160 years around. They urged the needs of knowledge sharing and promoting preparedness.
This report will further include the following information: 1) Situation in the Affected Townships, 2) Relief Operation by Myanmar Government, 3) Key initial learning and needs of the surveyed area As part of our response to this earthquake, SEEDS Asia is supporting the affected communities by compiling the on the ground situation through the survey with Myanmar Earthquake Committee in the affected area to be disseminated to the greater humanitarian community.