Cyclone Nargis was a strong tropical cyclone that caused the

worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar(Burma).It

began as an intense tropical depression on April 27th 2008 in the
Bay of Bengal but changed direction and hit the shores of
Myanmar(Burma) on May 2, 2008. with Little warning given, Winds
of 200 km per hour and the low pressure created a storm surge
measuring 6.3 metres high.It was one of the deadliest storms in
recorded history, bringing fierce winds and heavy rain that
especially devastated the Irrawaddy Delta region and the former
capital city of Rangoon.It blew away 700,000 homes in the delta,
killed three-fourths of the livestock, sank half the fishing fleet and
salted a million acres of rice paddies with its seawater surges
The storm which would become Cyclone Nargis formed in the
Northern Indian ocean in the bay of Bengal. In the last week of April
on the
27th it began as an intense tropical depression developed from an
area of low pressure formed over the bay of Bengal, conditions were
fitting with warm waters and low vertical wind shear that created an
environment right for the development of a cyclone. By the 29th it
had progressed to a Tropical storm and was predicted to hit
Bangladesh but due to seawater temperature Nargis changed its
course and headed for Myanmar. Eventually the storm exploded in
intensity and on the 2nd of May Cyclone Nargis hit the Irrawaddy
River Delta with winds of over 217kph bringing torrential rain and
storm surges-the leading killer in cyclones and hurricanes around
the world, to low lying agricultural land. There were numerous inlets
through the Irrawaddy Delta region so as the water pulled in it had
no place to go but pile high with 600mm of rain in this area another
factor that allowed the storm surge to really build was a shallow
continental shelf ,if we had a deeper slope it would have blocked the
storm surge but in this case the water piled straight on into the
land.
Flooding and mudslides due to heavy rainfall.
The destruction of coastal vegetation from the strong winds left
exposed soil open to erosion.
Storm surges rolled over the low lying areas, flooding them with up
to 3.5-4 metres of salt water. This killed salt intolerant plants and
seeped down to contaminate aquifers.
Flooding occurred as a result of the rainfall and the storm surge.
Researchers concluded that Cyclone Nargis flooded about 14,402
square kilometers.
Enormous waves severely eroded coastal areas all along the
southern coast of Myanmar. Some islets in the delta area
disappeared completely.
Marine habitats were damaged or destroyed.

Cyclone Nargis generated wave heights of up to 9metres which

crashed onto the southern coast of Myanmar causing coastal
erosion.
As the cyclone passed on, winds and rains eased, sea levels fell
and waves became less ferocious. The retreating sea dumped sand
along coastal areas which were rice farming regions.
destroyed 38,000 hectares (ha) of natural and replanted
mangroves
submerged over 63 percent of paddy fields
damaged 43 percent of freshwater ponds.
damaged 35,000 natural and planted mangroves and other trees
pollution of surface and groundwater
sedimentation of rivers

$10 billion worth

of damage
Majority of the
popu l ati on worke d
o n t h e fl o o d e d
r i c e fi e l d s
therefore they
lost their harvest
and income
75% of buildings
collapsed but on

the delta 95%

collapsed
1,163 temples
were destroyed
There was a lack
of food, water for
survivors
Many children
were orphaned
Diseases spread
with many
survivors dying
from disease
50,000 people
are still missing
A death toil of at
least 138 000

people has been

quoted, but
estimates vary
widely, it is
thought that
80,000 people
could have died
in the town of
Labutta alone,
making the
84,000people
death toll seem
unrealistic
It is estimated
that at least 2.4
million people
were severely

a ff e c t e d b y t h i s
cyclone.
Structural
damage
throughout
Myanmar was
extensive,
causing over a
million to become
homeless
The government
o ffi c i a l s d i d n t
know what hit
t h e m f o r t h e fi r s t
couple of days
after the cyclone
hitting Burma

initially the
response of the
military
government was
appalling as they
did not give
permission to
other countries to
help and nourish
the victims as
they did not want
foreign people in
the country,
leaving the
inhabitants of
Burma struggling
f o r t h e fi r s t f e w

days without any

money, shelter
food, connections
or transport,Also
the transport and
communication
links were
Damaged making
it hard for
national and
international
search teams to
h e l p . I t Wa s o n l y
local people on
hand trying to
fi n d a n d r e s c u e
victims.on may

9th Myanmar
fi n a l l y a l l o w e d
international aid
but it was still
limited to food
,medicine and
basic
supplies,foreign
aid workers were
banned from the
country only until
may 19th- a full
three weeks after
the disaster were
search and rescue
teams allowed
and sent from

outside countries
plus
Food, tents ,water
and water
p u r i fi c a t i o n w a s
sent of donated
by countries and
ngos along with
medical teams
and also aid
m o n e y. A n o t h e r
short term
response was on
the 19th of may
when the ocha
launched the
burmese hic

website in the
purpose of
improving
information
exchange and
collaboration
between
operational
agencies
responding to
nargis .also locals
and international
aid had to bury
the dead to stop
the spread of
diseases(recovery
of bodies)

Aid was disrupted

as ten days a
massive
earthquake known
as the Sichuan
earthquake, which
measured 7.9 in
magnitude, hit
later nearby
central china and
it alon e h ad ta ken
87,476 lives
after the event.