17-19 January 2012--Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand.

The Foundation for Education and Development (FED) joined recently with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to deliver emergency relief supplies to flood-stricken areas in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. At IOM’s request, FED joined IOM’s flash flood emergency relief team to assist in the distribution of emergency supplies. In all, the relief team comprised fifteen members: seven from IOM, six from FED, and three volunteers from the local area.

Burmese migrant workers in the province inhabit a low-lying area close to the sea and dotted with numerous bodies of water. Flooding happens regularly there.  Local communities typically fend for themselves, but the recent flooding was so sudden and of such a magnitude that external assistance was required. January’s flooding had contaminated local water supplies and halted normal supplies of food, fuel, and other basic necessities.

The FED team responded to the call rapidly, leaving its offices in Khuk Khak, Phang Nga Province, to travel to Nakhon Si Thammarat on 17 Jan at 7AM, reaching Nakhon Si Thammarat four hours later.

Together with IOM, the FED team conducted a rapid triage assessment of the flooded communities on the first day, 17 Jan. Some areas were severely affected by flooding. Other areas suffered property losses, but were otherwise not seriously affected. It was determined early on that, though the Burmese migrant community was severely affected by the flooding, they received no assistance from the Thai government.

Complicating the relief effort was the fact that many of the male inhabitants of the area work on fishing boats and return home for just two or three days a month. Many women and children thus faced the flooding alone for the most part.

The distribution of supplies in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province was focused on the communities of Sichon, Khanom, Pak Phanang, and Ron Phibun. Even though the target of IOM/FED assistance was the migrant Burmese community, it quickly became apparent that the Thai community also needed help. Distribution was quickly widened to include both communities. As the IOM team included a public health educator and a nurse, the relief team was able to administer minor medical aid and also counsel on matters of hygiene, water purification, and related health concerns.

IOM’s emergency packages were delivered in two large trucks, with a third vehicle carrying medical supplies. IOM/FED distributed emergency packages and medicine to the affected communities. Relief packages contained clothing, combs, brushes, toothpaste, flashlights and batteries, towels, soap, tissues and other necessities. Women’s packages contained feminine hygiene articles. The medical packages contained tablets for fever, headache, bandages, water purification tablets, and some other basic medicines. In all, about 4,000 emergency packages were distributed.

Lessons Learned

Given the need for hasty assistance, it was difficult to distribute relief supplies systematically. Crowded control proved to be more difficult than anticipated.  IOM was eager to distribute all the packages they had brought, and without FED assistance it might have become necessary to deposit supplies with community headmen, thus speeding up delivery, but at the possible expense of the supplies not reaching those most in need of them. It might also have resulted in zero supplies going to the Burmese community. Although the relief was intended to go to the Burmese migrant community, it proved impossible to differentiate neatly between needy Burmese and needy Thais. The potential for creating conflict between the communities instead of understanding was a constant concern. Distribution of relief supplies is always a messy business, characterized as it is by a need for haste and needy, desperate people.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners from its offices in more than 100 countries. Learn more about IOM at www.iom.int.

The Foundation for Education and Development or FED (formerly Grassroots HRE) works to promote education, human rights, and the development of safe working environments for Burmese migrant workers and their families in Thailand. FED programs currently focus on Burmese migrants in Phang Nga, south Thailand and Mae Sot. FED works closely with other regional and international organizations to achieve its goals. For more information, please visit www.ghre.org