UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has left for Myanmar, calling the situation there "critical" with relief efforts reaching only a quarter of those in need.
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"This is a critical moment for Myanmar. We have a functioning relief program in place but so far we have been able to reach only about 25 percent of Myanmar's people in need," Ban told reporters at UN headquarters on Tuesday.
Ban, set to arrive in Myanmar early Thursday after a stop in Thailand, planned to visit the worst-hit Irrawaddy delta region and to attend weekend fund-raising talks in Yangon.
The UN chief has warned of a second catastrophe -- the potential for disease to prey on weakened survivors -- and will appear in person to try to persuade Myanmar's military junta to accept more international aid for some 2.4 million survivors.
Ban's comments come as Myanmar began three days of mourning on Tuesday for 133,000 people dead or missing after its cyclone, but barely anyone seemed to notice and most of the two million survivors were still desperate for help.
In one of the first official displays of grief since the cyclone pummelled the impoverished country 18 days ago, national flags in front of Yangon's City Hall fluttered at half mast under overcast skies.
But there was no public ceremony nor moment of silence, and most people in Yangon appeared unaware of the mourning period.
"We didn't know about this news. How are we meant to show our grief for storm victims?" said Mya Mya, a 43-year-old flower seller who is sheltering in a school after the storm destroyed her home.
Like most cyclone survivors still waiting for food , shelter and medicine, Mya Mya said she had yet to receive any emergency relief from the military government.
Global pressure is mounting on the regime to do more for the storm victims.
The UN chief, who had earlier failed to get reclusive junta leader Senior General Than Shwe even to take his telephone calls, plans to visit the worst-hit Irrawaddy delta region and to attend weekend fund-raising talks in Yangon.
"I will do my utmost for the people of Myanmar," he vowed.
There have been some advances, with the government agreeing at regional talks on Monday in Singapore to allow neighbouring countries to coordinate an international relief effort.
"We are seeing a little bit of progress, we see small steps being made," said Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for OCHA, the UN's disaster response arm in Geneva.
