Conditions for earthquake survivors in the Inle Lake area of Nyaungshwe Township, have worsened with the arrival of winds so strong that they have ripped the roofs off their temporary shelters.
in Kyartaw Village near Nampang Town in southern Shan State’s Nyaungshwe Township, at around 1:00 pm on 27 April 2025, heavy rain, strong winds and hail storms blew away metal roofs from earthquake-damaged houses and ripped open the roofs of temporary tents, sending locals into a panic.
An aid worker helping those affected by the wind in Kyartaw Village said: “Yesterday, there was heavy rain along with hail, and the wind was really strong. While the damage wasn’t too severe, the roofs of houses and temporary tents were affected. Many earthquake victims are still living in temporary tents, so they were terrified when their shelters got blown away.”
He added that in the Inle Lake area many houses still need to be rebuilt, following the devastating 28 March 2025 earthquake that badly affected the Inle Lake area.
About 2,000 people in the area need assistance, both manpower and funding, to help rebuild their houses damaged by the earthquake.
Most of the houses are built on stilts over the edge of Inle Lake and use a lot of bamboo in their construction. Unfortunately, the price of bamboo has risen from 10,000 MMK a pole to 18,000 MMK a pole. To make matters worse, in some areas the soft ground has shifted following the earthquake, which is making the reconstruction of houses harder.
A young resident of Kyartaw Village who is helping relief efforts there said to Shan Herald: “It’s very likely that rebuilding will take a long time. We still need a lot of manpower and money. It’s really a tough situation. Right now, the price of a bamboo pole has gone up to 18,000 MMK. But considering how hard it is to cut bamboo and the transportation challenges, that price hike isn’t unreasonable. However, if the price goes up to 40,000 MMK, that will definitely cause problems.”
Heavy rains and strong winds hit many parts of Shan State on 27 April 2025, damaging homes and destroying farmlands.
