05 May 2008 - The International Rescue Committee is dispatching an emergency team to Myanmar to rapidly assess needs and lay the groundwork for urgent assistance for people made homeless by the weekend's devastating cyclone. The IRC team will begin to assemble in Yangon Tuesday.

"The communities hit by the cyclone and the government face enormous challenges in responding to a disaster of this scale," says Greg Beck, the IRC's Asia regional director, speaking from Chiang Mai, Thailand. "With our years of emergency experience, we're hopeful that we can help bring critical assistance to the people of Myanmar."

The IRC has been working in the region for 27 years, providing health care, water, sanitation, education and other assistance for tens of thousands of Myanmar refugees living along the border in Thailand.