Please contact DEC Press office: 0207 387 0200 (out of hours - 07930 999 014).

As the number of those affected by the devastating cyclone in Myanmar continues to rise, leading UK charities on the ground in Myanmar (Burma) are starting to reach those who are homeless and without food and water.

With more than 22,000 people now confirmed dead and more than 40,000 missing, the need to respond is immediate and vast. The Disasters Emergency Committee will broadcast a national appeal for the DEC Myanmar (Burma) Cyclone Appeal tomorrow 8th May.

For donations, please visit www.dec.org.uk or phone: 0870 60 60 900.

Speaking about the launch DEC Chief Executive, Brendan Gormley, said: "our members are there and need the UK public to show huge generosity to help them reach those thousands of people who have seen their lives and livelihoods uprooted by this disaster."

World Vision, the Red Cross and Save the Children are among the charities who have a long term presence in Myanmar and their teams have responded since the cyclone struck on Saturday. They are already distributing clean drinking water, hygiene kits and emergency relief supplies and aim to scale this up in the days to come.

Ends.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Press conference

If you are interested in attending a press conference tomorrow please contact the DEC press office on: 0207 387 0200.

The DEC

The Disasters Emergency Committee agencies are Action Aid, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, TearFund and World Vision.

Public donations will be used for immediate needs such as food, clean water, medicines and shelter. But the scale of the devastation is so immense that a huge relief and reconstruction effort will be needed over the coming months.

For press information please call 020 7387 0200 or 07930 999014 (out of hours).

The DEC criteria to launch an appeal are:

The disaster must be on such a scale and of such urgency as to call for swift international humanitarian assistance.

The DEC agencies, or some of them, must be in a position to provide effective and swift humanitarian assistance at a scale to justify a national appeal.

There must be sufficient public awareness of, and sympathy for, the humanitarian situation so as to give reasonable grounds for concluding that a public appeal would be successful.