Myanmar (Burma) Cyclone Nargis Disaster 2008
- Cyclone Nargis made landfall on May 5, 2008
- Nargis is the first tropical cyclone of the North Indian Ocean 2008 season
- Cyclone Nargis had sustained winds of 130 mph and gusts of 150-160 mph, which is the equivalent of a strong Category 3 or minimal Category 4 hurricane
- An estimated 2.4 million people were severely affected by Cyclone Nargis
- Although very strong winds were responsible for much of the damage, flooding and mudslides were also possible due to heavy rainfall
- Myanmar's social welfare minister told reporters on May 5 that 95 percent of the homes in Bogalay had been destroyed
- The destruction of lives and property was blamed on the 12 foot (3.6 meter) high storm surge that accompanied Cyclone Nargis ¹
Burma, also known as Myanmar, is one of Asia's poorest countries. A largely rural, densely forested country, it is endowed with extremely fertile soil and has important offshore oil and gas deposits. However, its people remain very poor and are getting poorer. Burma is ruled by a military junta which suppresses almost all dissent. The Burmese media have been strictly controlled since the 1962 military coup, filtering not only criticism of the government but most bad news, including reports of natural disasters.²
Section Links
- Cyclone Nargis Statistics
- News
- News - Special Features
- Images
- Videos
- Maps
- Aid Efforts
- Previous Cyclones in Burma / Myanmar
- Cyclones Globally
- Quakeline® Literature Searches
Cyclone Nargis Statistics
- (June 16, 2008) – UN estimates 2.4 million affected, more than 1 million still need help, 78,000 people killed and 56,000 missing
- (June 10, 2008) – UN estimates 2.4 million affected, more than 1 million still need help, 78,000 people killed
- (May 28, 2008) – By government count, the storm left 134,000 people dead or missing, and the UN estimates 2.4 million survivors face hunger and homelessness
- (May 9, 2008) – Satellites provide close-up view of Nargis floods in Burma
- (May 7, 2008) – Death toll could reach 100,000
- (May 7, 2008) – 24 countries have pledged assistance worth $30M
- (May 7, 2008) – A Category 3 storm with winds up to 200 kilometers per hour
- (May 6, 2008) – According to (Burma) state media 22,464 dead and 41,054 missing
- (May 6, 2008) – NASA satellite captures image of cyclone Nargis flooding in Burma
- (May 6, 2008) – Power remained cut for the fourth day for almost all 6.5 million residents of Yangon, the country's largest city, while water supply was restored in only a few areas.
News
- (December 20, 2012) – BBC: Rebuilding Burma's cyclone-hit Irrawaddy Delta
- (November 3, 2008) – BBC: Burma 6 Months After Nargis
- (August 5, 2008) – BBC: Burmese still struggling after cyclone
- (July 21, 2008) – BBC: Burma aid effort "requires $1bn"
- (July 9, 2008) – IRIN: Thousands unable to return home
- (July 7, 2008) – ReliefWeb: Myanmar: Cyclone Nargis OCHA Situation Report
- (June 18, 2008) – IHT: In Myanmar, surprising recovery
- (June 17, 2008) – IHT: UN to begin spraying larvicide to fight dengue in Myanmar
- (June 16, 2008) – Science Daily: NASA data helps pinpoint impacted populations
- (June 11, 2008) – IHT: Myanmar red tape delays cyclone aid, agencies say
- (June 9, 2008) – BBC: Burma hits out at cyclone reports
- (June 5, 2008) – IHT: When cyclone hit Myanmar delta, villagers found no refuge
- (June 4, 2008) – BBC: New challenges for delta aid workers
- (June 4, 2008) – BBC: US aid ships to leave Burma
- (June 3, 2008) – UN: More than 1 million Myanmar cyclone victims have received aid
- (June 2, 2008) – BBC: Storm victims' misery turns to fury
- (June 2, 2008) – BBC: Burmese still lack aid a month on
- (May 30, 2008) – Reuters: Boats needed to aid Myanmar cyclone victims
- (May 30, 2008) – IHT: In desperate times, Burmese turn to their monks
- (May 30, 2008) – BBC: UN opposes forced Burma returns
- (May 29, 2008) – BBC: Burma grants all UN visa requests
- (May 29, 2008) – IHT: Ingratitude from Myanmar, as UN reports progress
- (May 29, 2008) – NYT: Burmese economy is an obstacle to aid
- (May 29, 2008) – Reuters: U.N. sees major disease threat in Myanmar
- (May 28, 2008) – BBC: UN official sees Burma progress
- (May 27, 2008) – IHT: Burmese villagers had little, and lost it all
- (May 25, 2008) – BBC: Donors pledge $50m to help Burma
- (May 24, 2008) – OXFAM: Myanmar will increase access for aid workers
- (May 23, 2008) – BBC: Eyewitness: Burma delta disaster
- (May 23, 2008) – BBC: Burma 'to let in all aid workers'
- (May 22, 2008) – ASEAN: Working Visit of H.E. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General of ASEAN to Yangon
- (May 22, 2008) – BBC: UN head tours cyclone-hit Burma
- (May 21, 2008) – BBC: Ban to meet Burma's top general
- (May 21, 2008) – IHT: UN chief to visit Myanmar to press leader for more access
- (May 21, 2008) – BBC: Burmese dodge junta to supply aid
- (May 20, 2008) – NYT: Myanmar to allow copters to deliver aid, UN says
- (May 19, 20080 – UN: Ban Ki-Moon to travel to Myanmar to boost aid effort
- (May 19, 2008) – IHT: Myanmar to let Asean neighbors help to coordinate aid
- (May 19, 2008) – BBC: Burma and China: Tale of two disasters
- (May 16, 2008) – BBC: Burma death toll jumps to 78,000
- (May 16, 2008) – IHT: Many dangers for child survivors of cyclone in Myanmar
- (May 15, 2008) – IHT: Food crisis looms in Myanmar
- (May 14, 2008) – BBC: 'No access' to Burma cyclone zone
- (May 14, 2008) – IHT: Myanmar faces new cyclone worries
- (May 14, 2008) – IHT: Junta is stealing aid, relief groups assert
- (May 13, 2008) – BBC: Two disasters, contrasting reactions
- (May 12, 2008) – Xinhua: Myanmar cyclone death toll rises to 31,938
- (May 12, 2008) – IHT: Bodies litter Myanmar delta after cyclone
- (May 9, 2008) – BBC: Burma cyclone raises rice prices
- (May 8, 2008) – New York Times: Myanmar's biggest city still paralyzed after 5 days
- (May 7, 2008) – BBC: Aid arriving in cyclone-hit Burma
- (May 7, 2008) – CSM: Burma's Katrina Moment
- (May 7, 2008) – IHT: A crack in Myanmar's wall
- (May 7, 2008) – UK Times: Catastrophe may leave country unable to feed itself
- (May 6, 2008) – BBC: Burma's cyclone death toll soars
- (May 6, 2008) – BBC: Was Burma's cyclone predicted?
- (May 6, 2008) – BBC: The aid challenge
- (May 6, 2008) – BBC: Aid call as Burma casualties rise
- (May 6, 2008) – BBC: Mangrove loss 'put Burma at risk'
- (May 6, 2008) – IHT: A look at Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta, hit hardest by Cyclone Nargis
- (May 6, 2008) – NASA Hurricane Season 2008: Tropical Storm Nargis (Indian Ocean)
- (May 5, 2008) – BBC: Disaster tests Burma's junta
News - Special Features
- BBC – Cyclone Nargis: One year on
- BBC – Burma cyclone
Images
- BBC – Burma aid trickles in
- BBC – Burma survivors
- BBC – Burma five days on
- BBC – Satellite images of cyclone
- BBC – Cyclone aftermath
- BBC – Burma cyclone by satellite
- NASA – Satellite captures image of cyclone Nargis flooding in Burma
- NASA – Tropical cyclone Nargis
- NASA – Myanmar rainfall totals 4/27-5/4/08
Videos
- BBC – Secret aid missions in Burma
- BBC – Force of cyclone
- BBC – Extent of Burma cyclone damage
- BBC – Eyewitness on Burma cyclone
- BBC – Burma cyclone in video
Maps
- BBC – Burma cyclone: Mapping the aftermath
- UNOSAT – Estimated total flood water area by affected township, Myanmar
- UNOSAT – Estimated Total Population Living w/in Flood-Affected Areas, Myanmar
- UNOSAT – Flood Assessment for Cyclone Nargis Affected Ayeyarwady Division
- UNOSAT – Overview of Cyclone Nargis-Affected Ayeyarwady Division
- UNOSAT – Flood Waters Surrounding Yangon City, Myanmar
Aid Efforts
- (June 19, 2008) – BBC: Unseen Burma: An aid worker's story
- (May 28, 2008) – IHT: Even with access, distributing aid in Myanmar is a challenge
- (May 14, 2008) – BBC: Aid slow to reach Burmese
- (May 13, 2008) – BBC: Resilience amid Burma catastrophe
- (May 13, 2008) – BBC: UN calls for Burma aid corridor
- (May 12, 2008) – BBC: Burma diary, the relief effort
- (May 12, 2008) – BBC: UN frustrated at Burma response
- (May 12, 2008) – BBC: First US aid plane lands in Burma
- (May 9, 2008) – BBC: UN halts Burma aid in seizure row
- May 7, 2008) – BBC: Aid arriving in cyclone-hit Burma
- (May 7, 2008) – BBC: Burma aid effort
- (May 7, 2008) – BBC: Burma, the challenge for aid agencies
- (May 7, 2008) – IHT: Aid agencies scramble to help cyclone victims in Myanmar (part 2)
- (May 6, 2008) – IHT: Aid agencies scramble to help cyclone victims in Myanmar
- (May 6, 2008) – OXFAM: Myanmar (Burma) Cyclone
- (May 6, 2008) – OXFAM: Myanmar (Burma) FAQS
- (May 6, 2008) – WFP: Where we work – Myanmar
- (May 6, 2008) – WFP: WFP food aid now reaching cyclone-hit areas of Myanmar
Previous Cyclones in Burma / Myanmar
- NOAA – Tropical Cyclone Mala in Myanmar, March 5, 2006. Maximum sustained winds near 185 km/hr (100 knots or 115 mph); 22 reported fatalities in Burma (The Irrawaddy)
- International Federation of Red Cross – Tropical Cyclone Mala in Myanmar
