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Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Nargis (; , ) was an extremely deadly and catastrophic tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar during early May 2008. The cyclone made landfall in Myanmar on 2 May 2008, sending a storm surge 40 kilometres up the densely populated Irrawaddy River river delta, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 138,373 fatalities. The Labutta Township alone was reported to have 80,000 dead, with about 10,000 more deaths in Bogale. There were around 55,000 people missing and many other deaths were found in other towns and areas, although the Myanmar government's official death toll may have been under-reported, and there have been allegations that government officials stopped updating the death toll after 138,000 to minimise political fallout. The feared 'second wave' of fatalities from disease and lack of relief efforts never materialised. Damage was at 13 trillion kyat (US$15.3 billion), making Nargis the costliest tropical cyclone on record in the North Indian Ocean at the time, before that record was broken by Cyclone Amphan in 2020.
The first named storm of the 2008 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Nargis developed on 27 April in the central area of Bay of Bengal. Initially, the storm tracked slowly northwestward, and encountering favourable conditions, it quickly strengthened. Dry air weakened the cyclone on 29 April, though after beginning a steady eastward motion, Nargis rapidly intensified to attain peak winds of at least on 2 May, according to IMD observations; the JTWC assessed peak winds of , making it a weak Category 4 cyclone on the SSHWS. The cyclone moved ashore in the Ayeyarwady Division of Myanmar at peak intensity and, after passing near the major city of Yangon (Rangoon), the storm gradually weakened until dissipating near the border of Myanmar and Thailand.
Nargis is the deadliest named cyclone in the North Indian Ocean Basin on record, as well as the deadliest named cyclone ever recorded. Including unnamed storms like the 1970 Bhola cyclone, Nargis is the fifth-deadliest cyclone to ever been recorded worldwide, but an uncertainty between the deaths caused by Nargis and those caused by other cyclones (like the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone), could put Nargis as the fourth-deadliest or higher, because the exact death toll is uncertain. It was also the 3rd deadliest natural disaster of the decade. 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. According to reports, Indian authorities had warned Myanmar about the danger that Cyclone Nargis posed 48 hours before it hit the country's coast.
Relief efforts were slowed for political reasons as Myanmar's military junta initially resisted large-scale international aid. US President George W. Bush said that an angry world should condemn the way Myanmar's military rulers were handling the aftermath of such a catastrophic cyclone. Myanmar's military junta finally accepted aid a few days after India's request was accepted.
Hampering the relief efforts, only ten days after the cyclone, the 2008 Sichuan earthquake occurred nearby and measured 7.9 in Richter scale, taking 87,476 lives and causing US$150 billion in damage in the process, making it the costliest disaster in Chinese history and fourth-costliest disaster ever known. Furthermore, some donated aid items were found to be available in the country's black market, and Myanmar's junta warned on 15 May that legal action would be taken against people who traded or hoarded international aid.
On 28 April, Nargis became nearly stationary, while situated between high-pressure ridges to its northwest and southeast. That same day, the JTWC upgraded the storm to cyclone status, the equivalent of a minimal Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. Around the same time, the IMD upgraded Nargis to a severe cyclonic storm. The cyclone developed a concentric eye feature, which is an eyewall outside another eyewall, with warm waters aiding in further intensification. Early on 29 April, the JTWC estimated Nargis reached winds of , and at the same time, the IMD classified the system as a very severe cyclonic storm. Initially, the cyclone was forecast to strike Bangladesh or southeastern India. Subsequently, the cyclone became disorganised and weakened due to subsidence and drier air; as a result, deep convection near the center markedly decreased. At the same time, the storm began a motion to the northeast, around the periphery of a ridge to its southeast. The circulation remained strong despite the diminishing convection, though satellite intensity estimates using the Dvorak technique indicated the cyclone could have weakened to tropical storm status. By late on 29 April, convection had begun to rebuild, though immediate restrengthening was prevented by increased wind shear.
On 1 May 2008, after turning nearly due eastward, Cyclone Nargis began rapidly intensifying, due to greatly improved outflow aided by an approaching upper-level trough. Strengthening continued as Nargis developed a well-defined eye with a diameter of 19 km (12 mi), and early on 2 May, the JTWC estimated that the cyclone reached peak 1-minute winds of , as it approached the coast of Myanmar, making it a Category 4 storm. At the same time, the IMD assessed Nargis as attaining peak 3-minute sustained winds of . Around 1200 UTC on 2 May, Cyclone Nargis made landfall in the Ayeyarwady Division of Myanmar at peak strength. The storm gradually weakened as it proceeded east over Myanmar, with its proximity to the Andaman Sea preventing rapid weakening. Its track turned to the northeast due to the approach of a mid-latitude trough to its northwest, passing just north of Yangon with winds of . Early on 3 May, the IMD issued its final advisory on the storm. Nargis quickly weakened after turning to the northeast, toward the rugged terrain near the Myanmar–Thailand border, and after deteriorating to minimal tropical storm status, the JTWC issued its last advisory on Nargis.
The India Meteorological Department recommended that fishermen should not sail on the ocean during the passage of Nargis. Strong waves and gusty winds were expected along the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coastline in India. Additionally, the influence of the cyclone lowered temperatures along the Indian coastline, which had been affected by a severe heat wave.
When the cyclone was originally expected to strike near Bangladesh, officials requested farmers to hurriedly finish harvesting the rice crop. At the time, the country was experiencing severe food shortages from Cyclone Sidr in the previous year and flooding earlier in the year, and a direct strike from Nargis would have resulted in destroyed crops due to strong winds.
Andrew Kirkwood, country director of the Save the Children organization stated: "We're looking at 50,000 dead and millions of homeless, I'd characterise it as unprecedented in the history of Myanmar and on an order of magnitude with the effect of the 2004 tsunami on individual countries. There might well be more dead than the tsunami caused in Sri Lanka." Foreign aid workers estimated that 2 million to 3 million were homeless, often going to one of 260,000 refugee camps in Myanmar. It was likely the worst disaster in Myanmar's history, and the total damages were comparable to that of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Thousands of buildings were destroyed; in the town of Labutta, 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. The Ministry of Religious Affairs stated that 1,163 stupa were destroyed in Ayeyarwady Division and 284 in Yangon Division.
A United Nations official commented as follows: "It's a bad situation. Almost all the houses are smashed. People are in a terrible situation." Another UN official said that "The Irrawaddy delta was hit extremely hard not only because of the wind and rain but because of the storm surge." Burst sewage mains caused the landscape to flood with waste, ruining the rice crop.
The Daily Telegraph (UK) reported that food prices in Myanmar could be affected. Woradet Wirawekhin ( วรเดช วีระเวคิน), 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 ( บรรสาน บุนนาค), the Thai ambassador in Yangon, conditions in the city had deteriorated and that most businesses and markets were closed. Mr. Wirawekhin also reported that the locals faced even more adversity in basic subsistence, because local food prices had increased two- or threefold.
According to Thai Rath 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 Myanmar. However, many nations and organisations hoped to deliver assistance and relief to Myanmar without delay; most of their officials, supplies and stores were waiting in Thailand and at the Yangon airport, as the Burmese junta declined to issue visas for many of those individuals. These political tensions raised the concern that some food and medical supplies might become unusable, even before the Burmese junta officially accepted the international relief effort.
In addition to this aid, the Italian government provided €500,000 through the WFP and €500,000 through funding to relief agencies through the UN. An additional €123,000 was provided through the Red Cross, as well as €300,000 worth of further financing for emergency equipment.
On 6 May, 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 12 May, USAID Administrator Henrietta H. Fore announced $13 million in food aid and logistics assistance through the World Food Programme.
From 12 to 20 May, USAID and the US Department of Defense (DOD) coordinated the delivery of nearly $1.2 million of US relief commodities to Rangoon on 185 DOD C-130 flights. The relief supplies would provide assistance to more than 113,000 beneficiaries. The DOD efforts were under the direction of Joint Task Force Caring Response.
As of 26 June 2008, United States assistance had totalled $41,169,769 and continued to be directed by the USAID DART stationed in Thailand.
By 8 May 2008, the Foundation for the People of Burma had a team on the ground in Rangoon and beyond providing direct assistance to thousands of refugees. Since this organisation was administered by Buddhist volunteers and already had tacit permission from the Burmese government, all donations went directly for supplies.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies had pledged $189,000 for relief. The federation had also launched an appeal of a further Swiss franc73.9 million (US$72.5 million). Red Cross spokesman Matt Cochrane said that cyclone survivors needed everything. They needed emergency shelter to keep them dry, including food supplies. He said stagnant waters were a perfect breeding ground for the malaria mosquito, so mosquito net were 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 Myanmar 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 had appealed for the focus of humanitarian work in Myanmar 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 Myanmar, said the toll would likely sharply grow in the next few days as help reached isolated areas. On 18 May, 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 did not reach them.
Médecins Sans Frontières landed a plane of 40 tons of relief and medical supplies in Rangoon. After clearing customs the supplies were transferred to local MSF warehouses. They have approximately 200 workers in the region, many of whom have been involved in long-term projects there and were already in the region.
World Vision launched a US$3 million appeal and sought to get international aid into the country. Staff on the ground were working to distribute food, water and other non-food items while WV Myanmar managers sought approval from the government to work in the worst affected areas and to bring in aid from outside.
Local NGOs also responded to the emergency, many adapting from human-rights or women's focuses to humanitarian emergency relief.
| ASEAN | An assessment team and 30 medical personnel per country. |
| AU$25 million (US$23.5 million) and 31 tonnes of supplies. | |
| 20 tonnes of food and medicine | |
| €250,000 (US$390,000) and €100,000 from Flanders | |
| Zinc roofing tiles, canvas tents and first aid items. | |
| Relief materials | |
| US$50,000 | |
| Up to Canadian dollar2 million (US$1.98 million) in emergency relief, $500,000 of which is for the Red Cross, Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is on standby; additional aid to come | |
| US$10 million in aid and relief materials (including 3 flights using Jade Cargo each consisting of 60 tonnes of aid) | |
| 5 million Czech crown (US$306,000) | |
| 10 million Danish krone (US$2.08 million) | |
| €39 million (US$60.7 million) | |
| US$51,200 | |
| €300,000 (US$467,000) | |
| 1,500 tons of medicine, food, and water; US$775,000 | |
| €4 million (US$6.22 million) | |
| US$200,000, medicine and humanitarian aid | |
| Hungarian forint48,903,000 (US$300,000), medicine, food, humanitarian aid | |
| More than 178 tonnes of relief materials; tents, food supplies, medicines. A team of 50 medical personnel was sent to set up hospitals in the Irrawaddy delta. | |
| Rp 9,212,300,000 (US$1 million) in cash and other aids in foods and medicines | |
| €1 million (US$1.56 million) | |
| US$100,000 plus food and medical supplies by private organisations | |
| €1.465 million (US$228 million) | |
| US$950,000 from the government; US$10 million through UN World Food Program & US$570,000 pledged assistance | |
| US$20,000 worth of food | |
| Lithuanian government donated Lithuanian litas200,000 ($90,000) to Red Cross. | |
| US$50,000 | |
| RM500,000 (US$147,000) | |
| €1 million (US$1.56 million) | |
| NZ$3.8 million (US$2.96 million) | |
| Norwegian krone10 million (US$2 million) | |
| Relief materials and setting up of a mobile hospital in the affected region upon approval of Burmese government. | |
| Medical workers, relief goods in cash, C-130 Hercules with aid | |
| 80 tonnes of food (~US$5.5 million for 30 tonnes of grain delivered in October 2015), generators, medicine, tents and blankets | |
| €30,000 (US$47,000) | |
| Relief materials, medicines and medical supply. | |
| US$200,000 | |
| US$775,000 donation to World Food Programme | |
| US$100,000 plus food and assistance of medical workers | |
| Logistical support and water cleaning systems | |
| US$475,000 (initial) | |
| US$200,000 | |
| US$100,000 plus food and medical supplies (initial) | |
| US$1,000,000 from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and US$600,000 from Turkish Red Crescent | |
| 40 tonnes of medicine, tents and blankets | |
| Pound sterling45 million committed (US$72.3 million), Aid sent by | |
| US$196 million (2008–2012) | |
| ₫3,195,000,000 (US$200,000) |
On 9 May 2008, the junta officially declared that their acceptance of international aid relief would be limited to food, medicines and other supplies as well as financial aid, but would not allow additional foreign aid workers or military units to operate in the country. Samak Sundaravej, Prime Minister of Thailand, stated that, following the request of Eric G. John, US Ambassador to Thailand, he would visit Myanmar on 11 May to urge the junta to open the country. Quinton Quayle, UK Ambassador to Thailand, later remarked that he would also join Sundaravej. However, the junta immediately replied that it was not willing to welcome anyone at this time. Sundaravej said that he would still submit the mediating letter to the junta without delay.
The delays had attracted international condemnation. Also, on 9 May in Bangkok, Richard Horsey, spokesperson of the United Nations, urged Myanmar to accept a full scale international relief effort. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the junta to allow aid in "without hindrance". Ban's comments came after the World Food Programme resumed food aid after two shipments of high energy biscuits were stolen by the military. The House of Commons of Canada condemned the Burmese government's response in a resolution passed unanimously on 9 May 2008. Oxfam International's regional chief Sarah Ireland warned that 1.5 million face death if they did not get clean water and sanitation soon: "It's really crucial that people get access to clean water sources and sanitation to avoid unnecessary deaths and suffering." Myanmar's government seemed unaware of the scope of the death and destruction Cyclone Nargis wrought on the country more than a week ago, it was reported 13 May 2008. Some critics were even suggesting genocide since the Burmese government had deliberately denied storm victims aid, allowing for hundreds of thousands to potentially die from starvation, exposure, and disease.
On 16 May 2008, the Burmese UN ambassador accused France of deploying a warship to the Burmese coast. The French UN ambassador denied the LHD Mistral was a warship, and claimed Myanmar's refusal to allow increased aid into the country "could lead to a true crime against humanity." France stated the ship in question was carrying 1,500 tons of relief supplies. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown accused the ruling junta of allowing the disaster to grow into a "man-made catastrophe" through its failure to act. He also rebuked the junta as being guilty of inhuman actions.
On 19 May, Myanmar agreed to allow aid from members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to enter. The decision came after an emergency ASEAN summit. The aid would start arriving 21 May. Ban Ki-moon would probably visit the country the same day to "accelerate relief efforts". That day, Ban announced that Myanmar was going to "allow all aid workers regardless of nationality" to enter, although ships and helicopters were still not expected to be allowed. The announcement came after Ban had met with junta leader General Than Shwe for over two hours. Organizations welcoming the announcement included World Vision, the World Food Programme, and the International Rescue Committee.
On 23 May, negotiations between UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Than Shwe resulted in the opening of Myanmar to aid workers, regardless of nationality. Myanmar's government was still staunchly opposed to the presence of in the country, only allowing dedicated relief workers. On 5 June, a -led American carrier group full of aid left the Burmese coast after being denied entry for several weeks, taking its aid back undelivered.
On 27 May, to complicate world opinion and in contrast to numerous and varied accounts from international relief organisations, the Burmese junta praised U.N. aid.
On 5 June 2008, Amnesty International released a report saying that at least thirty people had been evicted from . The report also indicated that the military was horse-trading aid for physical labour.
On 8 May 2008, about thirty protesters assembled before Myanmar's embassy in Manila, Philippines, demanding that the junta defer voting on the referendum and immediately accept international relief. The Philippine protesters delivered the statement that "this time is not the time for politics, but it is the time to save people." The United States Government also demanded that the United Nations not endorse the referendum. Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the Burmese opposition, also stated that holding a vote for the referendum during this disaster would be a consummately unacceptable act. About 500 Burmese activists demonstrated on 10 May outside their country's embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, demanding that Burma's military regime call off its constitutional referendum even as voting began despite a devastating cyclone.
In a public Opinion poll conducted throughout Myanmar on 9 May 2008 by Mizzima News, a Myanmar news agency, 64% of those surveyed still intended to vote in the referendum. However, 71% did not know what the constitution was, and 52% had not yet decided whether they would vote to support or oppose it.
More than a week after the disaster, only one out of 10 people who were homeless, injured or threatened by disease and hunger had received some kind of aid. More than two weeks later, relief had only reached 25 percent of people in need.
Nine days after the cyclone, the military government was still refusing to grant visas and access for aid workers into the area. The UN called for an air or sea corridor to be opened to channel large amounts of aid, and was sent to the area, alongside French and United States military assets.
The official death toll of the cyclone is 84,537 with 53,836 people reported missing at the time of the PDNA and 19,359 injured. The total death toll sums up to 138,373, making Nargis one of the deadliest tropical cyclones on record.
Activists respond to the blockade of aid
A Facebook.com page called Support the Relief Efforts for Burma (Myanmar) Cyclone Disaster Victims with 10,000 members used its members to organise a Global Day Of Action for Burma on 17 May 2008. with the help of Burma Global Action Network, Burma Campaign UK, Canadian Friends of Burma, the US Campaign for Burma, Info Birmanie, as well as countless local partners, a Global Day of Action for Burma a call for Humanitarian Intervention was held on 17 May 2008, in cities worldwide. An apparent response to the junta's blockade of aid to the Cyclone Nargis victims, the international community called for a humanitarian corridor to get aid into the hardest hit areas of Myanmar.
Records
Nargis set many records for its death toll and its damage. In addition, when Nargis reached Category 4 on the SSHS on 2 May, it marked the only time that a Category 4 storm had formed in this basin for three consecutive years: starting with Cyclone Mala, going into 2007 with Cyclone Sidr and Cyclone Gonu, and ending with Nargis. It was the costliest storm in the Indian Ocean cyclone basin in recorded history at the time; it was eventually surpassed by Cyclone Amphan in 2020.
Private relief
Several international organisations were approved to support relief efforts within the country:
Impact on rice supplies
The Irrawaddy Delta is such a fertile area for rice growing that it was known as the "rice bowl" of the British Empire. Production was high enough that Myanmar could feed its citizens a high amount of rice (by the standards of Asia) with enough left over to sell on the market. Since Nargis hit right around harvest, a rice shortage and famine could result. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that Nargis impacted 65% of the country's paddy field. They feel that the situation would be "devastating... if the recent disaster results in severe rice shortages." This might exacerbate the crisis already occurring, but it could be partially alleviated if fall and late summer harvests were good. Myanmar had since appealed for aid to assist with getting the rice planted, as its farmers had a 40- to 50-day window of opportunity before the season's crop would be lost. The Myanmar government estimated losses of US$10 billion because of the cyclone.
Update
The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) reported the extent of the international response as less than 7 percent of the actual needs for shelter after 15 months, although emergency shelter relief efforts were well funded. It estimated about 209,000 families had rebuilt their own homes after the first year. Out of US$150 million requested for shelter repair and reconstruction under the Post Nargis Recovery Plan (PONREPP) — a three-year recovery strategy running to 2011 — only US$50 million had been received.
See also
Notes
Further reading
External links
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