UNITED NATIONS: United Nations’ top humanitarian official announced on Tuesday that the world body was prepared to provide a grant from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help people affected by the deadly cyclone which struck southeast Myanmar over the weekend.

“The government of Myanmar has indicated that they are open to international assistance. We appreciate the government’s announcement that it is making available approximately $5 million from its own resources for emergency relief, and I am ready to allocate a significant amount from the CERF as the most urgent needs become clear,” said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said the number of people in need of assistance is expected to be sizeable. The most urgent needs, according to the UN country team in Myanmar, include shelter, water purification tablets, cooking sets, mosquito nets, emergency health kits and food.

A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team will be dispatched to Myanmar and it is expected to begin work soon. Lack of communications has hampered efforts to obtain accurate information on the impacts of the storm and on populations affected.