Amat Gyi

Location

Cyclone Nargis

Livelihood

Village sign of Amat Gyi in front of ILM donated houses

Village: Amat Gyi

Tract: Pyin Aa Lan

Township: Laputta

Total population: 570

Households: 110

Village Head: Augustine

Farmers: ~35%

Fisherman: 0% Others: 65%

School Level: N/A

Number of Students: N/A

Number of Teachers: N/A

Number of Churches: 0

Church Attendance: N/A

Village Christian population: ~95%**Amat Gyi is 95% Roman Catholic

Latitude: 15°46.197’ N Longitude: 94°52.832’ E

Helipad: No

Storm Surge: ~7 ft

Houses destroyed: ~99%

Lives Lost: 48

Water: Rain water as main source. Wells in Amat Gyi salty but neighboring Aima has drinkable well

Crops: 30% of planted crops can be harvested

i Love Myanmar involvement: 50 houses have been donated and completed

Location

Like other villages in Pyin Aa Lan tract, Amat Gyi is located on an island at the river mouth and is situated near where Cyclone Nargis made landfall. Amat Gyi is located right next to the village of Aima and is about a 30 minute walk from Amat Kalay.

Cyclone Nargis

Storm surge was 7 ft in this area but was exposed to extremely fierce winds of up to 160 miles per hour. Out of 110 houses, only one was left standing. Although 48 lives were lost, the village head said they sustained the least fatalities in their area.

Livelihood

The 50 houses donated by ILM have already been completed in Amat Gyi, hence families that have been allocated houses have moved into them. However there are approximately 60 families that still live in temporary shelters built from canvas, palm leaves and wood.

The village is sharing the 289 acres of farmland which they have this year. Despite planting all of them, only 100 acres are expected to be harvestable. Farmers predict a harvest one third of their normal yield. With two seasons a year, their harvest will probably still come up short and will require additional food to sustain them till the next harvest. Farmers have also received a total of 9 tractors.

There are no fishermen in this village. The remaining people make a living by working for those that have fields or catch crabs, collect coconuts etc for a living.

Others make a living by running small village stores, selling coconuts or catching crabs.

Left: Nwa Nay Noe lives with 4 other members of her family in this ILM house and runs a small grocery store. She started with $ 300 USD, but now only has $ 100 left. She said villagers have no money and only buy on credit. Few are returning money making business difficult.

Food & Water

ADRA has been supplying food to Amat Gyi and will provide till the end of November when they harvest. Wells in the village have been yielding savory water and are not drinkable. Villagers have been relying on rain water and well water from the neighboring village of Aima which has drinking water.

School

Amat Gyi has no school. Approximately 60 students attend school in neighboring Aima equipped with a middle school. For most students it is about 10 minutes’ walk

Church

There are also no churches in this village. 95% belong to the Roman Catholic Church and attend service in Aima. Rebuilding Progress 50 houses donated by ILM have already been completed by Saung Hay Mann Construction Company. After inspecting the houses, ILM is pleased to report that houses are of excellent quality and that the construction company has done a good job.

An additional coating of protective paint will be applied on houses to extend the life of wood used in construction. Houses are expected to last up to 60 years with proper maintenance

Rebuilding Progress

50 houses donated by ILM have already been completed by Saung Hay Mann Construction Company. After inspecting the houses, ILM is pleased to report that houses are of excellent quality and that the construction company has done a good job.

An additional coating of protective paint will be applied on houses to extend the life of wood used in construction. Houses are expected to last up to 60 years with proper maintenance.

Houses were allocated according to whose land the house was built upon. If the owners of the property were no longer present, then the nearest relative had first choice. When asked if I Love Myanmar could name the road on which the houses were built on as “Emmanuel Road”, the village head responded with “that is the best!”

ILM donated houses lining Emmanuel Road

I Love Myanmar Team

The I Love Myanmar team was able to gather sufficient information and ensure the quality of houses built were up to standard.

Stories

During Cyclone Nargis, Augustine the village head stayed in his house with his wife and two children. He said if he was going to die, he would rather do so with his family. As the storm surge came and the water level rose, he quickly made a platform on the horizontal beams of his roof and huddle there with his wife while he placed his two young children in a plastic tub wrapping them in canvas to protect them.

As the storm surge reached the platform, he made a hole in the roof; his family hung on for their lives as the wind and rain whipped across their backs. He thought surely it was a matter of time before they would die. All across the village he said the villagers were praying and crying out to God loudly.

When the storm finally subsided at 3am, he climbed down and found that the stilts which held his house had collapsed. Outside his home he found an elderly lady past 80 years old with her hands tied around a eucalyptus tree. Her whole face and body was white and motionless; he thought surely she was dead, but somehow she had miraculously been spared, and he carried her back to his house.

Augustine now lives in one of the 50 houses rebuilt by I Love Myanmar.

ILM staff Charles and Ben with Augustine and his family in his new house

Conclusion

It appears that majority of Amat Gyi’s needs are being met by other NGOs and the Roman Catholic Church as Amat Gyi is next to Aima, one of the bigger villages in the area. Villagers are very pleased with the houses received but have asked for more houses if possible.

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