By Andrew Theen
Portland, OR July 29, 2008
(OPB News)- Nearly 3 months after a devastating cyclone struck Myanmar, officials with Medical Teams International say relief is spotty and slow to improve. Andrew Theen reports.
Dr. Wendy Dyment is the emergency health specialist with Medical Teams International. She was the only official from the Tigard relief agency allowed into Myanmar, or Burma. Dyment spent 2 months there.
Dyment said the political situation makes it difficult to get to certain areas, and she wasn't allowed to stay overnight.
She said in the hardest hit areas trees are still down, food is scarce, and hospitals still lie in ruins.
Wendy Dyment: "A lot of people were living without adequate shelter, one of the areas that we went to 3/4 of the people said they still needed clothes, half didn't have food that would last them more than 2 days."
Dyment says that is typical of the most-damaged regions, but some areas are better.
She says she's worried that the situation is slowly fading from international awareness.
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