First US relief airlift heads to Myanmar

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"So far we have enough water by collecting rain. But we do not have food anymore," said U Patanyale, the abbot of a monastery in Pyapon town in the delta.

Horsey said the U.N. is getting "a lot of reports" of widespread diarrhea outbreaks in the delta, but not of an epidemic scale. Malaria and dengue could also become a problem.

"But basic shelter, clean water and emergency food will be the thing that if we can get it out fast enough will prevent hopefully these major problems," he said.

The junta has been sharply criticized for its handling of the disaster, from failing to provide adequate warnings about the pending storm to responding slowly to offers of help.

Though international assistance has started trickling in, the few foreign relief workers who have been allowed entry have been restricted to Yangon. Only a handful have succeeded in getting past checkpoints into the worst-affected areas.

The government is also insisting on handling the aid distribution through its feared military, which has ruled this isolated country since 1962.

"The government is very controlling," said U Patanyale. "Those who want to give directly to the victims get into trouble. They have to give to the government or do it secretly. They follow international aid trucks everywhere. They don't want others to take credit."

The Myanmar junta's restrictions on foreign help stems from its strained relations with the international community, especially the West, which has regularly criticized its refusal to allow democracy.

The acceptance of the U.S. relief flight Monday could be "beginning of a long line of assistance from the United States," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters in Crawford, Texas over the weekend. "They're going to need our help for a long time."

The plane is carrying 28,000 pounds of supplies, including mosquito nets, blankets and water in an operation dubbed "Joint Task Force Carrying Response."

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