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Relief efforts scaled up in Myanmar, Bangladesh
Oxfam has said it is scaling up its emergency response to widespread flooding in Myanmar and Bangladesh as the death toll continues to climb while thousands more are left homeless
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xfam has said it is scaling up its emergency response to widespread flooding in Myanmar and Bangladesh as the death toll continues to climb while thousands more are left homeless.
The international aid agency says it has distributed relief materials to communities in the worst-hit regions despite communication issues and difficulties it has faced in reaching remote townships.
Oxfam Australia's humanitarian manager Meg Quartermaine said that needs in both countries were high and as more information came to hand, the agency anticipated its response would ramp up.
'We have teams in place responding to the needs of people impacted by flooding in both Bangladesh and Myanmar,' Quartermaine said on Tuesday.
'Given the scale of the floods and the remoteness of some villages it will take some time before we know the full impact, but we are already on the ground providing much-needed support,' she added.
Quartermaine said Oxfam would continue working closely with other agencies to best respond as the situation becomes clearer.
Oxfam reports that monsoonal flooding and landslides in Bangladesh and Myanmar have left dozens dead, at least thousands homeless and hundreds of thousands severely affected.
The Myanmar government has declared parts of its country 'national disaster affected regions'.
Oxfam says it has distributed hygiene kits and installed critical water and sanitation infrastructure in Kyauk Taw, one of the worst-hit areas of Rakhine State.
Nearby in Bangladesh, Cyclone Komen and widespread flooding have had devastating consequences. 'Early reports suggest about 200,000 people have been severely affected. Of those, 124,800 people are displaced and 27,600 are still living in cyclone shelters,' says Oxfam. The agency says it is distributing hygiene kits and scaling up its response, in partnership with local NGOs, to best deliver humanitarian aid to the region. (ebf)(++++)
