When Cyclone Nargis struck Burma (officially known as Myanmar), its point of entry was at the Irrawady River delta. This region has the heaviest population in the country and is the most vulnerable to storms because of its low elevation.
The Path of Cyclone Nargis
Nargis was the first named storm in the North Indian Ocean cyclone season of 2008. It was first detected on April 27th in the middle of the Bay of Bengal. As it moved to the northwest toward India, it began to strengthen. On April 28th, the storm was officially named Nargis.
By April 29th, the storm was weakened by dry air and then changed directions toward the east, heading away from India. As it traveled in its new direction, it began to intensify. In the early morning of May 2nd, Cyclone Nargis made landfall on the coast of Myanmar on the Irrawaddy delta at full intensity.
According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, “Prior to making landfall in Burma (Myanmar), the cyclone intensified to a severe cyclonic storm (equivalent to a category 4 in the Saffir-Simpson scale) with peak winds near 213 km/hr (132 mph or 115 knots). The storm brought heavy rain, strong winds, and a 3.7 meter (12 foot) storm surge.”
Cyclone Nargis headed up to Yangon, formerly Rangoon, without losing much intensity. Like the Irrawaddy delta, this city is heavy populated. Both of these areas form the majority of the population in Myanmar. The storm weakened as it headed further inland to the Thailand border.
Damage Caused by Cyclone Nargis
The high winds, rain and the storm surge swept away poorly constructed shacks on the Irrawaddy delta where most of the fertile land is farmed. The storm surge traveled 25 miles inland and wiped out villages, killed thousands of people and livestock. With extreme erosion caused by the storm surge, large areas of coastal land were reclaimed by the sea.
Most of the land in the delta is slightly above sea level so the salt water contaminated the farmland. Because the mangrove forests along the coast were cut down for farming, the delta lost most of its natural defense against storms.
Thousands of people were left homeless and homes that were not destroyed were without electricity. People did not have fresh water and food. There was also the threat of infectious diseases spreading through a displaced population due to lack of sanitation facilities and tainted water, plus living in cramped areas of refuge.
Newstrack India reported, “The cyclone claimed nearly 140,000 people and another few hundred thousand people went missing. The United Nations estimated that Nargis affected 2.4 million people and rendered thousands families homeless. Nearly 10,00,000 acres of farmland in Irrawaddy and 3,00,000 acres in Rangoon division were destroyed. Nargis damaged over 800 000 houses.”
Relief Aid for Myanmar
Countries and organizations from all over the world offered their assistance but the military government was initially hesitant in accepting aid. Four days after Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar, the government made a statement to the United Nations that they would accept aid from other countries, but only from their governments. Further delays ensued because relief workers had to obtain visas to enter Myanmar.
The rebuilding of Myanmar continues.
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