Anna’s body began to shake. She felt dizzy and then a bit sick. Maybe she just needed to sit down, she thought, but when she did her body continued to shake. Confused about what was happening, she looked up and realized that the things on the ceiling were moving too. Then she knew.
It was an earthquake – a 7.7 magnitude tremblor hit Myanmar on March 28.
Anna ran to the street where her neighbors shared similar stories. They didn’t know it then, but about 400 miles away, the earthquake caused buildings to collapse in the cities of Sagaing and Mandalay, near the epicenter. Thousands were killed, injured or missing in the rubble
The earthquake added another layer of suffering to people in Myanmar who were already in a humanitarian crisis after a military coup in 2021. It escalated conflict across Myanmar, displacing 3.5 million people internally. Regular airstrikes and civilian deaths continue. (Anna’s real name, location and the name of her organization are not being used for her safety.)
“People from around Myanmar have been chased out of their homes through violence, and they moved to these areas that have now been hit by the earthquake, so the traumas are compounding,” says Crystal Conklin, a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) representative for Cambodia and Myanmar with her husband, Charles Conklin.
Initial response by MCC partner
Information about the earthquake was difficult to get where Anna lives because electricity, phone and internet services were disrupted, but she learned enough to know the damage was severe. As the director of an MCC partner organization, who was trained in disaster response, she went to see what was needed.
Shocked by destruction more severe than she had ever seen before, Anna’s attention eventually focused on helping survivors who had no water, no toilet or a place to sleep.
“People sleep outside because they lost their house,” she says, “and many people, even though their house is not cracked …, they don’t want to sleep in their house anymore because they are scared this kind of thing will happen again. Those areas are very hot and then very humid sometimes, and lots of mosquitoes (are) everywhere.”
Distributing and transporting humanitarian supplies is a risky endeavor for MCC’s partners because the military can arrest people who do. Both the military and opposition groups will confiscate supplies.
Anna's group was able to buy drinking water in Mandalay to reduce the transportation distance. They distributed the water along with instant food, sleeping mats and mosquito nets for nights and tarpaulins to protect people from the sun. Listening to people who needed to talk about their experiences was part of their mission.
MCC's response is expanding
Providing food, water and medical supplies is the first wave of response that MCC is supporting, says Crystal Conklin. Shelter and support for people’s emotional well-being in these traumatic circumstances will be next. MCC’s four partner organizations will purchase supplies close to where they are needed.
“We have some really excellent peace projects, and because the peace partners and the churches asked for training years ago in how to do humanitarian aid, they’re actually really well equipped,” she says. “And one of the partners then went on to train a larger group of nonprofits on how to do humanitarian work, the ‘MCC way,’ which is really neat.”
The “MCC way” includes making sure food is balanced nutritionally and that supplies are distributed equally in the community. Trauma awareness and healing also are beneficial for all of MCC’s partners, who deal with their own trauma as they respond to the needs of other people, Conklin says.
People have not only been traumatized by the earthquake, Anna says. “They have been struggling for four years now. So we need … social support sessions as much as we can because sometimes when people (are) scared, they fight back or they hide, things like that.”
Prayer and support needed
As Anna’s organization continues to carry out a disaster response, the staff will work with community networks they trust to assess the needs and identify the people most in need of support.
Recovery will be more difficult than immediate relief, she says. “Now they don’t have income, they lost all their business, also,” Anna says. “And so we want to work on that and then rehabilitation. We will find a way to support the community as much as we can.”
She implores the international community to continue to support the people of Myanmar. She hopes that during the recovery from the earthquake, people will come together in a way that brings peace to the country.
So just as Jesus went through death and pain and came out with new life, that is also my prayer for Myanmar.
Crystal Conklin
MCC representative for Cambodia and Myanmar
Prayer also is vital, Conklin says. “On the big picture, I always ask people to pray for the miracle of resurrection in Myanmar. So just as Jesus went through death and pain and came out with new life, that is also my prayer for Myanmar. They’ve gone through a time of great struggle and a lot of pain and death. And so I pray for a resurrection time for them where there’s going to be new life and peace.”
Caption for top photo: People serving with an MCC partner organization prepare dried fish to distribute to earthquake survivors in Myanmar. Names of people and partner organization are not named for their security. MCC partner photo