One Burmese monk who lives in the Chicago area says he has not been able to get information about his relatives.
"I'm trying again and again to contact with my family, but I cannot do it," monk Ashin Ukkamsa said.
Even those who don't have family in Myanmar have been affected.
"There's no day I go through without crying. It's been hard. None of my family members have been affected, but to see and hear what's going on, it's very heartbreaking," said Trudie Duan, also a member of the Burmese Buddhist Association.
The Burmese association was hoping to raise $10,000 Sunday for the relief effort.
International assistance has started to trickle into Myanmar, but most foreign relief workers are restricted to the capital city.
Relief efforts were dealt an additional blow when a Red Cross supply ship sank.
The United States finally got the go ahead to deliver three cargo planes loaded with supplies.
For more donation information from the Burmese Buddhist Association, log on to http://www.bba.us/.
