Almost $30 million in aid for cyclone-ravaged Myanmar

The destruction wreaked by Cyclone Nargis and its aftermath in the Irrawaddy Delta on Saturday has drawn a rare acceptance of outside help from the Southeast Asian country’s diplomatically isolated military rulers.

The following includes some of the aid offers to date:

NGO/IGO CONTRIBUTIONS

UNITED NATIONS: A five-member UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team assembled in Bangkok. UNICEF has sent assessment teams to three of the five disaster-hit areas.

RED CROSS: About 200,000 Swiss francs ($189,000) released by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ emergency disaster fund. Relief workers are distributing drinking water, clothing, food, plastic tarpaulins and hygiene kits.

-- Myanmar Red Cross is distributing insecticide-treated bed nets to help prevent malaria and water purification tablets. The government said it would allocate 5 billion kyats ($4.5 million) for relief and resettlement work.

-- American Red Cross has pledged $100,000 in funds and supplies.

WORLD VISION, AUSTRALIA: The Christian relief group pledged A$3 million ($2.8 million) for first month of relief operations in Myanmar. About 25 medical, health and hygiene specialists to be sent into cyclone-ravaged areas, to boost efforts of 600 permanent staff in Myanmar.

STATE CONTRIBUTIONS

FRANCE: €200,000 (around $320,000) in aid

SPAIN: €500,000 (around $775,000) to the World Food Program for Myanmar.

UNITED KINGDOM: Up to £5 million (around $10 million) for emergency relief efforts pledged by Department of International Development. Also sending emergency field team.

AUSTRALIA: Initial A$3 million ($2.8 million) in emergency aid, with A$1 million of that to go to aid agencies to help provide shelter, water purification and food in Myanmar.

NEW ZEALAND: Immediate grant of NZ$500,000 ($394,000) from government to be distributed through aid agencies/United Nations.

INDONESIA: $1 million, and send food, medicine and other humanitarian aid.

GREECE: Greece vows to send $300,000 in financial assistance, and plane carrying aid. CHINA: $500,000 in cash; materials including tents, blankets and biscuits worth a further $500,000.

INDIA: Two naval ships loaded with food, tents, blankets, clothing and medicines sent to Yangon. Two transport aircraft laden with supplies to leave for Myanmar on Wednesday

JAPAN: ¥28 million ($267,570) worth of emergency aid in (tents, power generators and other supplies).

THAILAND: Transport plane loaded with food and medicine was sent to Yangon.

SINGAPORE: $200,000 in humanitarian assistance; offers to send rescue and medical teams.

SOUTH KOREA: $100,000 in aid and material, such as tents and medicine, in an initial package.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Pledged €2 million ($3 million) for fast-track humanitarian aid.

UNITED STATES: Committed $3 million through the US Agency for International Development, up from initial $250,000 immediate emergency aid. Treasury to expedite approvals for aid groups to provide money/services to the MyanmarU.S. sanctions since 2003. government, under

CANADA: Some C$2 million ($1.98 million) to support organizations including the United Nations, International Red Cross and the World Food Program.GERMANY: €500,000 (around $775,000) to German aid organizations to provide shelter, drinking water, household utensils and mosquito nets. (Reuters)