OCHA Myanmar: Earthquake Response Situation Report No. 4

HIGHLIGHTS

• Four weeks since the 28 March 2025 earthquakes, affected communities continue to reel from the persistent impacts of the disaster. Critical needs remain for safe shelter, clean water and sanitation, physical and mental health care, comprehensive protection services and cash assistance.
• Humanitarians plan to target 1.1 million people with the most severe needs. Since the earthquakes, humanitarians reached at least 600,000 people with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support, close to 488,000 people with various forms of food assistance, and nearly 117,000 people with essential relief items.
• While needs remain for emergency assistance, support for early recovery and livelihoods is paramount for rebuilding lives, restoring economic activities, enhancing their resilience for the disaster affected population.
• More resources and sustained access remain critical to scaling up the response and reaching those in need.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Four weeks after the powerful twin earthquakes devastated central Myanmar on 28 March, affected communities continue to face severe challenges and urgently need essential supplies and services. Concurrently, sustainable early recovery support is required to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. Debris clearing and search efforts are ongoing, and more bodies have been discovered. Many people perished under the rubble, and the full extent of the casualties is still being assessed.

To date, 3,800 deaths were reported, 5,100 people injured and 116 people remain missing, according to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre). Shelter and living conditions remain critically strained, with most of the affected people living in overcrowded displacement sites or makeshift roadside shelters. Some have sought refuge with relatives, while families with more resources have been able to relocate to other areas. In many affected areas, there is limited access to basic services such as clean water, sanitation, and healthcare.

The extreme heat, reaching up to 39°C with high UV radiation in central Myanmar, combined with very high levels of humidity is further exacerbating the situation for people living in unsafe shelters.

Both rapid needs assessments and multisector initial rapid assessments (MIRA) were completed to inform a more targeted response. Humanitarian organizations are working to move the response closer to those we serve and partnering with local organizations to reach those in need, including the delivery of medical care, shelter, clean water, sanitation support and food. Needs, however, remain immense and additional support and resources are urgently needed. The Flash Addendum to the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) for Myanmar called for $275 million, yet according to the financial tracking system, $34 million is reported as disbursed. The urgent disbursement of pledged funds is critical to ensure that people’s already severe humanitarian needs in Myanmar do not deepen further.