Children at a temporary shelter for displaced families in Dedaye Township, south of Rangoon, 07 May 2008

Nearly a week after Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, bloating corpses dot the canals and riverbanks of the Irrawaddy River delta.

Rescuers, including Buddhist monks, are struggling to reach survivors before they succumb to disease and starvation.

International health officials say as many as 1.5 million homeless people face a wide range of threats from deadly diseases, including malaria and cholera, diarrhea, sun exposure and dirty water.

Shelter remains scarce and reports from Burma say profiteers are charging exorbitant prices for food, gas and other essentials.

One victim tells VOA Burmese Service that entire homes in his village were washed away and that only about 20 people survived the storm.  

Some survivors say they have been forced to move from village to village in search of aid.  They say most of the help is coming from local sources and not from the government.