100 Days After the Myanmar Earthquake: Stories from the Margins

It has been 100 days since the devastating earthquake struck central Myanmar on 28 March 2025. A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar, leaving a trail of destruction across six regions and states. As of 25 June, the confirmed death toll has reached 3,768, with 5,104 injured and 38 people still missing. Rescue teams have pulled 653 survivors from the rubble, and the bodies of 846 deceased individuals have been recovered. Hospitals, schools, highways, and even cultural heritage sites were left severely damaged.

In the immediate aftermath, UN-Habitat responded by delivering essential food and non-food items to affected areas such as Inle Lake, Mandalay, and Sagaing. At the same time, UN-Habitat worked closely with partners to assess the damage and initiate recovery efforts that reflect what communities need.

As the rainy season approaches, many displaced families face growing risks from inadequate shelter and limited access to clean water and sanitation. Vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, the elderly, and pregnant or breastfeeding women are especially exposed.

Beyond the statistics lie the human stories of survival, resilience, and quiet determination, especially among Myanmar’s most marginalized people. These stories highlight not just the damage that occurred but also the ongoing work to build back better, stronger, and more inclusive communities.

“WITH MORE SUPPORT, WE BELIEVE WE CAN OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES TOGETHER.”

Forty-year-old Daw Aye Nyein Thu volunteers at a displacement camp in Khan Village, Chan Mya Tharzi Township, Mandalay. Despite facing her challenges, she helps coordinate support for hundreds of affected families, especially women, pregnant mothers, and children.

UN-Habitat, in collaboration with partner UN agencies, organizations, local CSOs, and CBOs, has been actively engaging with displaced communities to assess needs and coordinate support. During a recent visit, UN-Habitat staff had the opportunity to interview Daw Aye Nyein Thu, a dedicated volunteer at a displacement camp in Khan Village, Chan Mya Tharzi Township, Mandalay.

UN-Habitat has been actively engaging with displaced communities, in collaboration with partner UN agencies, organizations, local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), to assess their needs and coordinate support. During a recent visit, UN-Habitat staff had the opportunity to interview Daw Aye Nyein Thu, a dedicated volunteer at a displacement camp in Khan Village, Chan Mya Tharzi Township, Mandalay.

Daw Aye Nyein Thu shared insights with a visiting UN-Habitat team about their ongoing efforts. “While we wait for further assistance, we’re doing everything we can, volunteering and supporting others with what we have,” she says. “We focus on maternal care, clean water access, menstrual hygiene products, and separate latrines for women and men to protect the dignity of our community.”

She explains that they are currently living in the Train Station Avenue Compound, relying on a shallow tube well with basic piping to distribute water, made possible through donations from local supporters. Daw Aye Nyein Thu says, “We try to provide food, clean water, mosquito nets, and hygiene kits. Local doctors also help when they can. But it’s not enough. We still need kitchen utensils, blankets, and school supplies like umbrellas and stationery for over 800 children.”

After the earthquake, Daw Aye Nyein Thu began collecting data on the affected population, including those with specific health needs. "The earthquake affected 1,400 households out of 1,700 in our ward. Most are now living in makeshift camps. There are 550 shelters, each housing about three families. Over 1,000 households are still in these harsh conditions,” she explains.

“Shelters are not enough. The heat is unbearable during the day, and the rains make everything worse.” She continues, “We need support to rebuild not just our homes, but our lives. Both cash and in-kind assistance are essential to help our community recover and restore dignity.”

“BUILDING BACK BETTER MEANS STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES TO FACE FUTURE CHALLENGES WITH RESILIENCE AND CONFIDENCE.”

In the wake of recent disasters, UN-Habitat is working to build local capacity for future disasters in Myanmar.

To build local capacity for future emergencies, UN-Habitat launched training programmes for volunteer engineers and supported setting up Earthquake Technical Offices with local partners. These centres provide expertise in seismology and resilient reconstruction, guiding local communities as they transition from temporary or transitional shelter to more permanent solutions.

Working with the Myanmar Engineering Society, Myanmar Earthquake Committee, and the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, an online training was held for over 80 volunteer engineers. In-person trainings and daily feedback sessions further improved local engineers’ knowledge and capacity to respond. These assessments not only supported structural evaluations but also created an opportunity for local communities to better understand building safety, enabling informed decisions about returning to their homes and restarting their livelihoods. This process plays a critical role in helping affected populations recover safely and rebuild stronger in the aftermath of disaster.

“Our focus is on resilience building,” Catarina Camarinhas, Country Programme Manager for UN-Habitat Myanmar, says. “As we reconstruct, we want to strengthen communities’ ability to withstand future shocks.”

“WE DON’T JUST WANT TO REBUILD INFRASTRUCTURE — WE WANT TO BUILD BACK BETTER, DRIVEN BY THE PRIORITIES OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES.”

Myanmar faces enormous challenges in recovering from recent devastation. But with resilience and innovation, hope grows stronger every day.

UNITAR and UN-Habitat have joined forces to bring cutting-edge, risk-sensitive planning tools to Myanmar’s cities. This collaboration aims to help communities recover safer and stronger — ensuring no one is left behind.

Catarina Camarinhas, Country Programme Manager for UN-Habitat Myanmar, says: “Myanmar people are very resourceful. But after this level of devastation, the risks for the most vulnerable are high. We should not just rebuild infrastructure; we want to work with those most at risk to build back better, ensuring every decision is driven by the priorities of local communities.”

Alongside OCHA and other partners, UN-Habitat supported local needs assessments. Using satellite imagery provided by UNOSAT combined with on-the-ground surveys by trained local engineers, over 25,000 building damage assessments have been completed.

Khaled Mashfiq, Regional Liaison Officer at UNOSAT Asia and the Pacific, explains: “The collaboration between UN-Habitat and UNOSAT combined satellite-based damage assessments with real-time engineering evaluations through accessible data dashboards, clearly showing the scale of building damage and recovery needs. By bringing together our respective expertise, we have a unique opportunity to use spatial technology not only to support efficient rebuilding, but also to enable community-led, risk-informed planning that truly reflects local needs.”

These detailed maps are crucial for planning reconstruction in a way that is both safe and fair. They help identify vulnerable areas, clarify land and property rights, and guide decisions about where and how to rebuild. The satellite-based assessments support evidence-based and inclusive recovery planning with due consideration for future disaster risks.

AFTER THE QUAKE, AFTER THE FLAMES: STORIES FROM THE MARGIN —

“You can feel both loss and strength here. People are grieving, but they’re not giving up,” says Eimon Pyone, UN Volunteer with UN-Habitat, during a recent field visit to Than Hlyat Maw (West) Ward in Mandalay.

The story documents the cascading disasters that struck Myanmar’s marginalized communities following the March 28, 2025 earthquake. In Mandalay’s Than Hlyat Maw (West) Ward — a settlement built on former dumping grounds — seismic disruption triggered devastating fires that consumed over 350 homes. This photostory reveals how informal settlements face compounding vulnerabilities: inadequate infrastructure, precarious land tenure, and limited resources that transform natural hazards into human catastrophes.

Caption: Than Hlyat Maw (West) Ward, Before and After 28th March 2025 (Google Earth)

“Many families here had little to begin with. When the fires came, they lost everything,” Eimon Pyone recalls. “But what’s inspiring is how they’re still trying to rebuild, together, with whatever they have.”

Than Hlyat Maw (West) Ward ranks among Mandalay township’s poorest communities. Prior to March 28, the informal settlement featured modest timber homes with corrugated tin roofs alongside scattered brick and concrete structures — all built atop a former landfill. Eyewitness accounts describe flames emerging from the ground during the earthquake tremors, igniting a catastrophic fire. The disaster’s impact extended beyond housing, devastating local businesses, livelihoods, and essential community infrastructure across the ward.

The fire consumed more than 350 residential structures and caused severe damage to community infrastructure, including local schools. Approximately 500 displaced families are currently sheltering in relief camps across the area, with women and children bearing the disproportionate burden of the displacement crisis.

Residents of informal settlements face multiple overlapping hazards: fire risks, poor building quality, and structural instability create a web of vulnerability. In the earthquake’s aftermath, hundreds of families are living in relief camps for temporary shelter.

While communities have experienced significant impact from the disasters, they demonstrate remarkable resilience in gradually rebuilding their lives and livelihoods despite resource constraints. Local enterprises, including traditional jade bangle polishing and jade stone processing businesses, have begun resuming operations as part of the economic recovery process. Communities are trying to clear debris in areas where agency support has yet to be deployed, showcasing their self-reliance and solidarity during the recovery phase.

“Even before help arrived, people started clearing debris themselves,” Eimon observes. “They’re not just waiting; they’re doing. This kind of community spirit is what will carry the recovery forward.”

Three schools were damaged across the ward, and the play areas have become debris disposal sites. The cascading effects amplify risks for children from low-income families, who lose access to education and safe recreational spaces.

“We must ensure that recovery plans prioritize these invisible losses such as the loss of education, childhood and safety,” Eimon stresses. “Building back better means listening to these communities and addressing what truly matters to them.”