Nargis Cyclone
2008 Cyclone Nargis of Myanmar
Cyclone Nargis was a strong typical storm that caused the worst ever natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar. The cyclone hit the country on May2, 2008, causing havoc and at least 146000 fatalities with thousands more people still missing. The Labutta Township alone was reported to have 80000 dead, with about 10000 more deaths in Bogale. Damage was estimated at over US 10 billion. Which made it the most catastrophic cyclone in Myanmar. Nargis struck on 27 April in the central area of the Bay of Bengal. Initially it moved northwestwards slowly and, encountering favourable conditions,it quickly picked up strength. Dry air weakened the cyclone on 29 April through after begening a steady eastwards motion Nargis rapidly intensified to attain peak winds of at least 165km/h on 2 May. The cyclone moved ashore in the Ayevarwady Division of Myanmar at peak intensity and, after passing near the major city of Yangon, the storm gradually weakened and lost intensity near border of Myanmar and Thailand. An estimated 2.4 million people were severely affected by Cyclone Nargis. In other words, nearly one third of the 7.3 million population fell prey to the cyclone’s fury.
Asian’s Role In The Cyclone Nargis Response
The Association of South-East Asian Nations took a bold step by proactively assuming a leadership role, both in convincing the Myanmar government to cooperate with the international community and in managing the response itself. Just after the cyclone struck, on 5 May, ASEAN called on all members states to provide disaster assistance through the framework of the ASEAN agreement on disaster management and emergency response. In the first ever such mission for ASEAN, an emergency rapid assessment team was deployed to Myanmar from 9-18 May. In the meeting held, ASEAN ministers agreed to established an ASEAN-led coordinating mechanism for effective distribution and utilisation of assistant
Cyclone Nargis was a strong typical storm that caused the worst ever natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar. The cyclone hit the country on May2, 2008, causing havoc and at least 146000 fatalities with thousands more people still missing. The Labutta Township alone was reported to have 80000 dead, with about 10000 more deaths in Bogale. Damage was estimated at over US 10 billion. Which made it the most catastrophic cyclone in Myanmar. Nargis struck on 27 April in the central area of the Bay of Bengal. Initially it moved northwestwards slowly and, encountering favourable conditions,it quickly picked up strength. Dry air weakened the cyclone on 29 April through after begening a steady eastwards motion Nargis rapidly intensified to attain peak winds of at least 165km/h on 2 May. The cyclone moved ashore in the Ayevarwady Division of Myanmar at peak intensity and, after passing near the major city of Yangon, the storm gradually weakened and lost intensity near border of Myanmar and Thailand. An estimated 2.4 million people were severely affected by Cyclone Nargis. In other words, nearly one third of the 7.3 million population fell prey to the cyclone’s fury.
Asian’s Role In The Cyclone Nargis Response
The Association of South-East Asian Nations took a bold step by proactively assuming a leadership role, both in convincing the Myanmar government to cooperate with the international community and in managing the response itself. Just after the cyclone struck, on 5 May, ASEAN called on all members states to provide disaster assistance through the framework of the ASEAN agreement on disaster management and emergency response. In the first ever such mission for ASEAN, an emergency rapid assessment team was deployed to Myanmar from 9-18 May. In the meeting held, ASEAN ministers agreed to established an ASEAN-led coordinating mechanism for effective distribution and utilisation of assistant