BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The desperate race to find survivors of the massive earthquake in Southeast Asia continues. It’s estimated that more than 2,000 people have died from Friday’s natural disaster. The majority of the casualties are at the epicenter, Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the local Burmese community is reacting to the devastation.
Faustina Palmatier is the executive director of the Karen Society of Buffalo. She has family and friends in Myanmar. She checked on them as soon as she found out the country was hit by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake.
“The building broke, the ceiling fell and all these things,” Palmatier said. “Some of the relatives I know are safe. I cannot say this for everybody.”
Steven Sanyu moved to Buffalo from Burma in 2000. His friends and family are safe, but he worries that because the country is in the middle of a civil war, the death toll is not accurate and could be higher.
“Outside the village or any other place, they cannot gather information or get the number. That’s a very sensitive issue for us,” Sanyu said.
The local Burmese community is also concerned people in need won’t have access to humanitarian aid.
“Everyone is feeling devastated,” Palmatier said. “Despite a civil war going on, a natural disaster earthquake happened and on top of that, people are not getting help.”
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Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
