London's Burmese community 'broken' following Myanmar earthquake

Londoners with ties to Myanmar say they are worried about family and friends after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit the Southeast Asian country, also known as Burma, Friday, where the death toll continues to rise.

"We're emotionally broken. We cannot sleep," said Londoner Min Thu Hlaing, who has family in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, near the epicentre of the earthquake. 

Thu Hlaing has spent the past three days trying to contact his sister and cousins, he said, but has been unsuccessful reaching them since electricity is cutoff in the region.

"We cannot contact them, but we keep seeing all the news and the updates," said Thu Hlaing. "A lot of my friends are suffering because their family members and their friends have lost contact."

More than 1,700 people died in the earthquake, according to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday, and more than 3,400 are injured.

Many people are now homeless, OCHA said. 

"The people's home and everything has suddenly disappeared; they don't have anything right now," said Londoner Su Myat Noe, who has contacts in Myanmar. Her family remains safe in Yangon, south of the earthquake's epicentre. 

Members of the London Burmese Community have already raised $6,000 to send to Myanmar for on-the-ground relief, said Myat Noe, with a focus on providing food and clean water. 

"We need help from not only the Burmese community, but also from other communities," said London Burmese Community organizer Tin Maung Htoo. 

There were 175 Burmese people living in London in 2021, according to census data from that year. Maung Htoo said he estimates there are now between 300 to 500 Burmese Londoners, but said that's not enough people to help with the devastation brought on by the earthquake. 

"We understand the economic hardships that we are going through, but there's probably some creative ideas that the government, citizens and community efforts can do to join in this effort."

On-the-ground relief challenging 

Volunteers from the Canadian Red Cross have been responding to the earthquake for days, said national operations lead Chrian Livera.

"We haven't seen a large emergency like this in quite some time in Myanmar, so it's very chaotic," he said, adding that volunteers are providing immediate relief assistance through distributing food, water and medical assistance throughout northern Myanmar. 

The London Burmese Community is sending their financial donations to local volunteer contacts to ensure the money goes directly to people most affected, specifically in Mandalay and Sagaing, Myat Noe said.

Livera said earthquakes are common in the region, so the Red Cross already had warehouses throughout the country with necessary supplies, but is having challenges distributing them.

"The roads are damaged so getting the equipment in is going to be the main challenge going forward," Livera said. 

He said the Canadian Red Cross is also raising money to donate to relief efforts.

"Then, over the next few days and weeks as we enter the recovery phase, people will receive assistance for them to rebuild their lives and homes again," Livera said.