John Roycroft, Irish Red Cross Secretary General said that reports from the many Red Cross delegates and volunteers on the ground in Myanmar show the devastation and injuries are much worse that envisaged.

"We urgently need ten times more donations for this crisis and we need it now, and we are asking the people of Ireland to help over the next few days. Our colleagues in the International Red Cross have carried out an extensive review of what is required and they have indicated that \x8032.7 million is needed to support the Red Cross in assisting 100,000 families for 36 months. This is a considerable increase from their initial appeal of \x803.9million and reflects the level of urgency of the situation.

This money will cover the provision of life-saving assistance and short-term relief for 6 months, as well as the medium and longer-term recovery needs that will arise. This appeal also reflects the International Federation\x92s humanitarian commitment and ability to scale up support to meet the huge needs as a result of Cyclone Nargis," he said.

Funds donated to the Irish Red Cross appeal will be used to build on the work being carried out by 20,000 national Red Cross volunteers working on the ground. However there are considerable challenges affecting the operation including logistics challenges, limited communications and lack of access by sea and road for humanitarian relief items.

Irish Red Cross delegate Joe Lowry reporting from the region said that given the scale of the disaster, a massive increase in the aid effort is still required.

"While the distribution of relief items is picking up, there are still many areas that are not being reached. Our immediate challenge is to significantly strengthen the Red Cross capacity and to train the local volunteers in all aspects of emergency and humanitarian relief," he explained.

Donations are needed now online to www.redcross.ie or by calling 1850 50 70 70.