MYANMAR AFTERMATH EXSPOSED

Cyclone Nargis (JTWC designation: 01B, also known as Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Nargis), was a strong tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Burma (officially known as Myanmar). The cyclone made landfall in the country on May 2, 2008, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 130,000 fatalities with thousands more people still missing. However, the Labutta Township alone was reported to have 80,000 dead, with about 10,000 more deaths in Bogale; many other deaths are found in other towns and areas, but the Burmese government's official death toll is grossly underreported as they have simply stopped counting the dead to minimize political fallout. It is feared and quite possible that due to lack of relief efforts, a total of a million people already have or will die from this catastrophe. Damage is estimated at over $10 billion (USD), which made it the most damaging cyclone ever recorded in this basin.

Nargis is the deadliest named cyclone in the North Indian Ocean Basin, as well as the second deadliest named cyclone of all time, behind Typhoon Nina of 1975. Including unnamed storms like the 1970 Bhola cyclone, Nargis is the 8th deadliest cyclone of all time, but an uncertainty between the deaths caused by Nargis and those caused by other cyclones (like the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone), could put Nargis as 7th deadliest or higher, because deaths are still being reported. Nargis was the first tropical cyclone to strike the country since Cyclone Mala made landfall in 2006, which was slightly stronger, but had a significantly lower impact.

Relief efforts were slowed for political reasons as Burma's military rulers initially resisted aid. U.S. President George W. Bush said that an angry world should condemn the way Burma's military rulers are handling the aftermath of a catastrophic cyclone. Burma's ruling party finally accepted aid a few days after India's request was accepted. Furthermore hampering the relief effort was the unfortunate fact that only ten days after the cyclone nearby central China was hit by a massive earthquake, known as the Sichuan earthquake which measured 7.9 in magnitude and it alone has taken 69,136 lives, and caused 86 billion dollars in damage (USD), making it the costliest disaster in Chinese history and third costliest disaster worldwide. Furthermore, some donated aids were found to be available in the country's black market, and Myanmar's junta warned on May 15th that legal action would be taken against people who trade or hoard international aid.

The cyclone name "Nargis" , is an Urdu word meaning daffodil, which has its roots in the Persian Nargess (given name), which has the same meaning. The first named storm of the 2008 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Nargis developed on April 27 in the central area of Bay of Bengal. Initially it tracked slowly northwestward and, encountering favorable conditions, it quickly strengthened. Dry air weakened the cyclone on April 29, though after beginning a steady eastward motion Nargis rapidly intensified to attain peak winds of at least 165 km/h (105 mph) on May 2 according to IMD observations; the JTWC assessed peak winds of 215 km/h (135 mph), making it a weak category 4 cyclone on the SSHS. The cyclone moved ashore in the Ayeyarwady Division of Burma at peak intensity and, after passing near the major city of Yangon (Rangoon), the storm gradually weakened until dissipating near the border of Burma and Thailand.

Burma (Myanmar)

The United Nations estimated in its report that 1.50 million people were "severely affected" by this cyclone. Estimates of the people still missing are 55,917, with 77,738 confirmed dead. Some non-governmental organizations estimating that the final toll will be over 100,000. It is now thought that thousands of victims will never be known because their bodies have decayed so much and because they have been found as far as 4 miles away from where they originated from. Foreign aid workers concluded further, that 2 to 3 million are homeless, in the worst disaster in Burma’s history, comparable with the total damage done by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Andrew Kirkwood, country director of the British charity Save The Children, stated: "We're looking at 50,000 dead and millions of homeless, I'd characterise it as unprecedented in the history of Burma and on an order of magnitude with the effect of the tsunami on individual countries. There might well be more dead than the tsunami caused in Sri Lanka." As a result the Burmese government has declared five regions—Yangon, Ayeyarwady, Bago Divisions and Mon and Kayin States—currently as disaster areas. Thousands of buildings were destroyed; in the town of Labutta, located in the Ayeyarwady Division, state television reported that 75 percent of buildings had collapsed and 20 percent had their roofs ripped off. One report indicated that 95 percent of buildings in the Irrawaddy Delta area were destroyed. Nargis was the deadliest tropical cyclone worldwide since the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone, which killed over 138,000 people. However, because Burma's military leaders did not count the full death toll from Nargis, leaving the area shortly after it hit, and the fact that thousands more people are still missing or washed out at sea, it is feared up to 1 million people may have died in this disaster, and although this is disputed, if Nargis did kill this many people, it would be the deadliest cyclone ever recorded, and the third deadliest natural disaster ever recorded in history, behind the Yellow River floods of 1887 and 1931 in China. At least 10,000 people have been reported to have perished in the delta town of Bogale. One aid worker has claimed that the death toll from the cyclone and its aftermath may reach 300,000; if this was correct it would be the 2nd deadliest cyclone and fourth deadliest natural disaster, behind the Yellow river floods and the Bhola Cyclone.

An aerial view of devastation caused by Nargis as seen in Burma.

A diplomat in the city of Rangoon spoke to the Reuters news agency, giving them a description of the scene. He said that the area around him looked like a 'war zone' as a result of the cyclone. Burst sewage mains caused the landscape to flood with waste, ruining the rice crop. An official from the United Nations also commented on the situation, at the time of the event. "It's a bad situation. Almost all the houses are smashed. People are in a terrible situation," he said. Another UN representative also spoke on the incident. He reported that "The Irrawaddy delta was hit extremely hard not only because of the wind and rain but because of the storm surge." The Daily Telegraph, a UK newspaper, reported that food prices in Burma could be affected by this disaster.

Woradet Wirawekhin , Deputy Director General of Thailand's Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated on 7 May 2008 that, in reference to a report submitted by Bansan Bunnak , Thai ambassador in Yangon, the conditions in the city had degenerated and that most businesses and markets were closed. The Deputy Director General also reported that the locals also faced even more increasing adversity in basic subsistence; local food prices have already been increased two- or threefold.


Aftermath

International relief

On May 6, 2008, the Burma government representation in New York formally asked the United Nations for help, but in other ways it remains resistant to the most basic assistance. As of May 7, 2008, the government of Burma has not officially endorsed international assistance, but stated that they are, "willing to accept international assistance, preferably bilateral, government to government." The biggest challenge at present is obtaining visas for entry into the country.

According to Thai Rath Newspaper of Thailand on 8 May 2008. In the afternoon (Bangkok time) of 7 May 2008, the Burmese junta permitted Italian flights containing relief supplies from the United Nations, and twenty-five tonnes of consumable goods, to land in Burma. However, many nations and organizations hope to deliver assistance and relief to Burma without delay; most of their officials, supplies and stores are waiting in Thailand and at the Yangon airport, as the Burmese junta declines to issue visas for many of those individuals. These political tensions raise the concern that some food and medical supplies might become unusable, even before the Burmese junta officially accepts the international relief effort.

India
India, one of the few countries which maintains close relations with Burma, launched Operation Sahayata[56] under which two Indian Navy ships and two Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft supplied the first international relief material to the cyclone-hit country.The two aircraft carried 4 tonnes of relief supplies each while the Indian Navy transported more than 100 tonnes of relief material. On May 8, the IAF dispatched third air consignment carrying over 32 tonnes of relief material including tents, blankets and medicines. India plans to send more aid to Burma. In a separate development, Burma denied Indian search and rescue teams and media access to critical cyclone-hit areas. India released a statement saying it had requested Burma to accept international aid especially that from the United States, to which Burma agreed. According to various reports, Indian authorities had warned Burma about the danger that Cyclone Nargis posed 48 hours before it hit the country's coast. As of 16 May 2008, India's offer to send a team of 50 medical personnel to set up two independent mini-hospitals in the Irrawaddy delta has been accepted by the Myanmar government. An aircraft carrying the team of doctors and approximately 6 tonnes of medicines was being prepared at Delhi's Palam Air Force Base.

Italy
Italy provided 465,000 euros (about $732,282) worth of aid in the form of 30 tons of emergency relief equipment, such as stretchers, generators, and water purifiers in a flight organized by the World Food Program. The flight arrived in Yangon on May 8th. This was the first aid flight from a Western nation, preceded only by aid from Thailand.

In addition to this aid, the Italian government provided 500,000 euros through the World Food Program and 500,000 euros through funding to relief agencies through the UN. An additional 123,000 euros was provided through the Red Cross, as well as 300,000 euros worth of further financing for emergency equipment.

Malaysia
Malaysia is to channel US$1 million (RM3.2 million) in financial assistance and RM500,000 in humanitarian aid to Burma. Humanitarian aid would be transported by Hercules C130 and would include 5,000 blankets, 30 tents and RM100,000 worth of T-shirts, batik sarong, biscuits, instant noodles and medicines. Mercy Malaysia, a volunteer relief organization in Malaysia, is sending a four-member relief team to Rangoon, Burma to assess the situation in the wake of Cyclone Nargis. They would start looking into areas such as shelter, clean water, sanitation and emergency medical treatment. Mercy Malaysia has also trained 180 doctors from the Myanmar Medical Association in Yangon for deployment in the Irrawaddy Delta. RM1.8mil collected for victims of Myanmar’s cyclone victims through The Star Myanmar Relief Fund and handed to Mercy Malaysia executive council member Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus. A second Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) disaster relief team was sent to Myanmar on May 21, 2008. MRCS announced they will bring 2.5 tonnes of relief items, which include 1,000 blankets, 1,000 jerry cans, 1,000 mosquito nets, 500 mats, 7,000 mineral water bottles and 500 bags of health kits.

Thailand
Thailand has sent $100,000 USD in supplies, thirty tonnes of medical supplies and twelve tonnes of food supplies from Thai Red Cross. Additionally, Chaiya Sasomsap, Minister of Public Health of Thailand, stated that the Government has already sent medical supplies valued more than one billion baht ($31.3 million) to Burma. Furthermore, the Government of Thailand dispatched, upon the permission of the Burmese junta, twenty medical teams and twenty quick communicable disease suppression units. Samak Sundaravej stated that "if Myanmar gives the green light allowing us to help, our Air Force will provide C-130 aircraft to carry our teams there. This should not be precipitately carried out, it has to have the permission of their government." On 7 May 2008, the aforementioned units, with their subordinate airplanes, were permitted to land in Yangon, carrying drinking water and construction materials.

United Kingdom
The largest pledged sum from any single nation was donated by the United Kingdom which committed ₤17 million (approx USD $33.5 million). The UK's Department for International Development sent an international relief team to help with the co-ordination of the international relief effort. Another team from the same department is also on the ground inside Burma. The Royal Navy dispatched HMS Westminster to the area to assist with relief effort. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has remained extremely critical of the Burmese régime and hasn't ruled out violating Burmese sovereignty by carrying out "forced air-drops" to deliver aid.

United States
US Air Force personnel deliver relief supplies to Burma
On May 5, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Burma Shari Villarosa declared a disaster due to the effects of Cyclone Nargis. In response, the U.S. Agency for International Development USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and immediately provided $251,000 to UNICEF, WFP, and the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for emergency food, water and sanitation, and shelter assistance.

On May 6, an additional $3 million from USAID was allocated for the provision of emergency relief assistance, including $1 million to the American Red Cross and $2 million for NGO partners and on May 12, USAID Administrator Henrietta H. Fore announced $13 million in food aid and logistics assistance through the World Food Programme.

From May 12 to 20, USAID and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) coordinated the delivery of nearly $1.2 million of U.S. relief commodities to Rangoon on 36 DOD C-130 flights. The relief supplies will provide assistance to more than 113,000 beneficiaries. The DOD efforts were under the direction of Joint Task Force Caring Response.

As of June 26, 2008, United States assistance has totaled $41,169,769 and continues to be directed by the USAID DART stationed in Thailand.

Other relief efforts
On 15 May, the United Nations [OCHA] launched the Myanmar HIC website (http://myanmar.humanitarianinfo.org). The purpose the site is to improve information exchange and collaboration between operational agencies responding to Cyclone Nargis. Based in Bangkok, the HIC is providing support to the Humanitarian Partnership Team and other humanitarian partners in Yangon, as well as those based in Bangkok.

As of May 8, 2008, the Foundation for the People of Burma has a team on the ground in Rangoon and beyond providing direct assistance to thousands of refugees. Since this organization is administered by Buddhist volunteers and already has tacit permission from the Burmese government, all donations go directly for supplies. "Foundation for the People of Burma".

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has pledged $189,000 for relief. The Federation has also launched an appeal of a further CHF50 million. Red Cross spokesman Matt Cochrane said that cyclone survivors need everything. They need emergency shelter to keep them dry, including food supplies. He says stagnant waters are a perfect breeding ground for the malaria mosquito, so insecticide-treated nets are needed. The Red Cross suffered a setback when a boat carrying supplies sank when it hit a submerged tree. Everyone aboard survived, but most of the cargo was lost.Ten Red Cross/Red Crescent relief flights carrying medical and shelter supplies were due to land in Yangon on 12 May.

Trocaire, has been active in Burma since 1995 and were the first Irish aid agency to gain access after Cyclone Nargis. Relief work has been conducted mainly through local partners and membership of the international federation, Caritas Internationalis. Trocaire has appealed for the focus of humanitarian work in Burma not to be lost in the wake of China's more recent earthquake.

Save the Children, one of the few agencies allowed to work in Burma, said the toll would likely sharply grow in the next few days as help reaches isolated areas. On May 18, it announced that it believed that thirty thousand children younger than five were already facing malnutrition and could starve in under a month if food does not reach them.

Doctors without Borders - MSF landed a plane full of 40 tons of relief and medical supplies in Rangoon on Monday. After clearing customs the supplies were transferred to local MSF warehouses. They have approximately 200 workers in the region, many whom have been involved in long term projects there and were already in the region.

World Vision has launched a US$3 million appeal and is seeking to get international aid into the country. Staff on the ground are working to distribute food, water and other non-food items while WV Myanmar managers are seeking approval from the government to work in the worst affected areas and to bring in aid from outside.

Avaaz.org has raised over US$2 million for relief efforts in Burma, through over 25,062 individual donations. They have entrusted delivery and dissemination of the aid to the Burmese monks, bypassing the military junta. This unique approach has proved successful. As of 2008-05-24, US$550,000 is confirmed delivered to the religious establishment and another US$1,000,000 is en-route. ( Wikipedia.org )