On the Boat

MSF International Operational Communications Coordinator Michel Peremans

"We're going to try it." That is the conclusion. Tomorrow we're going to go out in a boat with the mobile team. For the first time expats will join one of the national teams to carry out medical consultations and distributions. We have no idea how the authorities will react now that foreigners are also going out into the field.

We wait in the office until the boat is loaded. Only then do we go to the harbour. Once there, we try to get on board as unobtrusively as possible. And that's not an easy task for two pale Europeans among hundreds of Asians. But we get on board without any problems.

Our team consists of two doctors, two nurses and eight logisticians. On board we're carrying rice, beans, oil and cans of fish. It's enough to feed 3,000 people for a week. We also have hundreds of water containers and plastic sheeting stowed below.

We travel to an area that hasn't been visited by any of our teams. Although the military distributed food here a week ago, the needs will probably still be enormous. We know this from villagers who traveled all the way to Labutta to ask for help.

We motor along a labyrinth of rivers. The skipper often has to stop as we travel to ask directions from fishermen in small boats. We pass by devastated villages. Once in awhile we see dead human bodies up on the riverbanks.  In the water, between broken pieces of wood, we see the floating, bloated bodies of pigs and buffalos.

After more than three hours, we reach the small city of Myit Pauk. Of the town's 1,600 inhabitants, 200 didn't survive the cyclone, two-thirds of the livestock drowned and 60% of the boats sank. The houses that are still standing have been heavily damaged. A quick estimate is made about which items are needed and in what quantities. The people lack the tools they need to rebuild their homes so we distribute toolkits. The supplies are brought to shore and three team members stay behind to distribute the material. We'll pick them up on our way back.

We travel on for another half hour until we reach Daunt Chaung. The storm swept through this village causing a huge amount of damage. The town is one big disaster area. Only 60 villagers out of the village's 327 inhabitants survived the storm.

A doctor and nurse set up a mobile clinic, but they don't see anyone with serious medical problems. In the meantime, the distribution machine is in full gear and we also check the water system. Their water source was contaminated by the flooding. We give them fuel to pump it dry and then clean it. Then we start to hear the stories.

Myang, a 30-year-old man, says "It rained very hard. My wife and I were at home. But it rained so hard and the wind was so strong that we decided to go to my aunt's house. Our house wasn't so strong and my aunt's was. More people had gathered at my aunt's house for shelter. There were about 40 of us. Around 10:00 pm the water began suddenly to rise. It went so fast. We thought we'd be caught like rats and decided to abandon the house. Once we were outside, we saw the fence in front of us break apart. There was only one thing to do. That was to dive into the water and swim under the fence. When we got to the other side, my aunt's house collapsed behind us.

"Water was everywhere. There were a few large trees that we could hold onto. It was only when morning came that we could see the extent of the damage. There were human and animal bodies everywhere. Everyone who had been able to hold onto a tree had survived. I don't know how to express my feelings. There are no words to describe them even though I know that sounds silly. I can only say that I feel enormous, unending sorrow about what happened".

A man grabs hold of us. He comes from a village farther up the coast, about a 45-minute boat ride from Daunt Chaung. He's come to ask us to assist his village, Myat Ke, that has been as good as forgotten. Boats pass by the small village, but don't ever stop. He says that only 25 of the village's 75 families are still alive. In total, only 56 people have survived.
We get into his boat with one of our doctors. We're carrying food, medicine and plastic sheeting. After traveling for 20 minutes, the engine starts sputtering. No more oil. We float in the middle of the river. It begins to rain heavily and the wind starts blowing hard. Eventually we are able to reach the riverbank. In an inlet, we see two half destroyed houses standing amid the washed up debris. There is also a boat. We ask if they have any motor oil. Unfortunately, they can't help us. Luckily we're able to convince the boat's owner to draw off some oil from his own motor. We have lost a lot of time and we're concerned that our colleagues will be worried if we don't return soon. But should we leave that village without help again? We decide to go on.

"Ten members of my family died," Bobo tells us. He's the man who came to get us. "My wife, my parents and one of my brothers survived, but all of my sisters and their children are dead." He doesn't want to tell us any more. Tut, another villager who has come with him in the boat says, "I have lost my whole family. My wife, my three-year-old daughter, my parents, my brothers and my sister. Their bodies haven't been found. Officially they are missing. But I have given up all hope."

The people of Myat Ke are waiting for us on the side of the river. There are about 50 women, men and children. However, not all of the survivors are there. Some have gone inland to search for wood to rebuild their houses.

Looking at it, it's hard to still call Myat Ke a village. Only two huts remain standing. Bobo feels like talking again. He is now sure that his village will get help. "We have lost just about everything. We had almost 100 buffalos but only two survived the cyclone. We don't know what we're going to do." Bobo introduces us to his 18-year-old brother, Mosji. "I was paying for his education. He's living in Yangon and going to college, but I'm afraid that may all stop now. How am I going to keep paying for it now?" asks Bobo.

The villagers have no mosquito nets or clean water.  They are drinking river water. Our doctor tells them that they have to boil the water before using it. He asks if they have any medical problems. But no one is sick. A week after the cyclone three people did die. Two died from diarrhoea and one from malaria.

After we distribute all the supplies, Bobo brings us back to our boat. Our colleagues are still busy handing out items. They haven't had time to worry about us. It's already dark as we head back up the river towards Labutta.