The devastation half a world away borders on the unbelievable – over 100,000 are dead and millions are homeless as the result of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. A Tucson-based humanitarian group says it’s ready to go in and help, but is being forced to wait because of politics.

The organization known as World Care calls Tucson home. Over the years it has provided donated food and life essentials during many natural disasters around the world. They’re ready to do the same in Myanmar, if they can only get into the country.

Cyclone Nargis hit the nation we used to know as Burma last week, and even worse than the devastation is the aftermath. Lisa Hopper, President of World Care in Tucson says a lot of Myanmar’s water will soon be contaminated, and diseases caused by the deaths of countless people and animals will spread.

Food has been delivered to some areas after the nation’s military regime finally let an international aid shipment into the country, but they still won’t let Americans help. Hopper says, “We should already be in there handling these situations and we’re not. They’re going to die because they can’t be taken care of, and because the political situation is such that they won’t allow it.”

World Care has $150,000 worth of resources ready to go if Myanmar’s military lifts the ban. Even then, Hopper says, it won’t be easy. The country has a lot of problems including drug trafficking, crime, poverty and disease – issues that existed before the Cyclone hit. Hopper says she’s frustrated about the situation, but says that won’t stop World Care of Tucson from helping.