Anna’s body began ­to shake. She felt dizzy and then a bit sick. Confused, she looked up and realized things on the ceiling were moving, too. Then she knew.

It was an earthquake, a 7.7 magnitude temblor, that hit Myanmar on March 28.

Anna ran to the street, where her neighbors shared similar stories. The earthquake caused buildings to collapse about 400 miles away near the epicenter in the cities of Sagaing and Mandalay. Thousands were killed, injured or missing in the rubble.

The earthquake added another layer of suffering to people in Myanmar already in a humanitarian crisis after a military coup in 2021. The coup escalated conflict across Myanmar, displacing 3.5 million people internally. Regular airstrikes and civilian deaths continue.

(Anna’s real name, location and the name of her organization are not being used for her safety.)

“People from around Myanmar have been chased out of their homes through violence, and they moved to these areas that have now been hit by the earthquake, so the traumas are compounding,” said Crystal Conklin, an MCC representative for Cambodia and Myanmar with her husband, Charles Conklin.

Information about the earthquake was difficult to get where Anna lives because electricity, phone and internet services were disrupted, but she learned enough to know the damage was severe. As the director of an MCC partner organization trained in disaster response, she went to see what was needed.

Shocked by destruction more severe than she had ever seen, Anna’s attention eventually focused on helping survivors who had no water, toilet or place to sleep.

“People sleep outside because they lost their house,” she said, “and many people, even though their house is not cracked, don’t want to sleep in their house anymore because they are scared this kind of thing will happen again. Those areas are very hot and then very humid sometimes, and lots of mosquitoes are everywhere.”

Transporting supplies is risky because the military can arrest people who do. Both the military and opposition groups will confiscate supplies.

Anna’s group was able to buy drinking water in Mandalay to reduce the transportation distance. They distributed water along with instant food, sleeping mats, mosquito nets and tarpaulins. Listening to people who needed to talk about their experiences was part of their mission.

Crystal Conklin said food, water and medical supplies make up MCC’s first wave of response, followed by shelter and support for emotional well-being. Partners will purchase supplies close to where they are needed.

“We have some really excellent peace projects, and because the peace partners and the churches asked for training years ago in how to do humanitarian aid, they’re actually really well equipped,” she said. “And one of the partners then went on to train a larger group of nonprofits on how to do humanitarian work the ‘MCC way.’ ”

The “MCC way” includes making sure food is balanced nutritionally and supplies are distributed equally in the community. Trauma awareness and healing also are beneficial for all of MCC’s partners, who deal with their own trauma as they respond to the needs of others.

“They have been struggling for four years now,” Anna said. “So we need social support sessions as much as we can.”