57 new cyclone shelters being builtin Myanmar

YANGON: A total of 57 more cyclone shelters are being built in Myanmar’s Ayeyawaddy region in the event of natural disasters, the region’s department of disaster management said.

The 57 cyclone shelters under construction cover those in 13 townships hit by the deadly cyclone Nargis in 2008.

Floods are common in the Ayeyawaddy region, which has plenty of creeks and rivers and gets a lot of rain every year.

Weather experts forecast a higher rainfall and flood this year compared with previous years.

Permission to stay in the shelters will depend on the intensity of the disaster, U Than Soe, the director of the regional department of disaster management, said yesterday.

He added that disaster management and teams with rescue equipment were on standby for emergency response.

He also called for public collaboration to deal with the eventuality.

Educational seminars on natural disaster are also being conducted.

According to the local administration, there are now 90 completed shelters.

Normally, the schools-cum-shelters are used as classrooms. — Xinhua