MYANMAR (BURMA) - World Emergency Relief (WER) is preparing immediate relief aid for survivors of Cyclone Nargis, the category-four cyclone that slammed Myanmar on Saturday, May 3.

Benyapa Becks, Rescue Task Force (RTF) Director of Programs, departs tomorrow for Myanmar (Burma) on behalf of RTF and Carlsbad-based World Emergency Relief in a joint effort reminiscent of their work for Tsunami victims in January 2005.

The first stop on the mission will be Bangkok, Thailand, where she will rendezvous with the same Thai disaster relief team RTF and WER equipped during the 2004 tsunami which killed over 223,000 people.

Depending upon conditions at the time, they will either fly into Myanmar and procure relief supplies and trucks in Yangon, or they will load trucks at the Thai border and then drive into Burma. The team will purchase emergency disaster supplies for local distribution while also coordinating incoming emergency supplies from the U.S. and Europe shipped by World Emergency Relief. WER will continue to monitor the situation and give aid as needed.

The team leader, Benyapa Becks is a Thai national and wife of WER Board member and RTF President Gary Becks. Benyapa is a veteran of many WER/RTF missions in Thailand and Sri Lanka after the Tsunami, as well as relief work in the U.S. (Hurricane Katrina), Peru and Honduras.

Team leaders will depart for LAX by van at about 6:00 PM on Tuesday, May 6th from El Cajon, and will be available to meet with the media during the day Tuesday. WER Spokespersons will also be available prior to the van's departure.

World Emergency Relief is a global family of seven charities sharing a common vision and core values. WER works with local organizations to combat poverty, hunger, and abuse, in addition to providing relief for victims of disaster, conflict and despair. WER's vision is to give children all over the world a living chance by addressing their practical, emotional, spiritual and economic needs, as well as the needs of their families and communities.

For more information about World Emergency Relief,

please call (760) 930-8001 or (888) HUG-4-KID (toll free). 

Donations can be made online by CLICKING HERE or mailed to:

World Emergency Relief
P.O. Box 131570
Carlsbad, CA 92013