Cyclone Nargis Trashes Myanmar's Largest City

Tropical Cyclone Nargis struck Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar (Burma) with Category 4 hurricane strength on May 2, creating the worst natural disaster in that nation's history.

The death toll was difficult to determine because the Burmese government refused access to many aid agencies, and because it controls the media. But estimates range from 85,000 to 300,000 killed, with millions more affected.

Photo: NASA Earth Observatory

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Tropical Cyclone Nargis made a direct hit on Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, striking with Category 4 strength.

The hurricane developed early in the Bay of Bengal, but forecasts had predicted a Category 1 or 2 landfall until just hours before it hit land.

There is little news about the damage, which is little surprise given the repressive military regime's tight grip on control in the underdeveloped agrarian country. Just Friday, President Bush approved further sanctions against Myanmar (Burma), according to the Associated Press, this time against state-owned companies, because they prop up "the nation's military junta, which has been condemned by the international community for suppressing pro-democracy dissidents."

The most extensive reports came from Chinese and Indian news services, which described extensively damaged buildings, cars and infrastructure, but did not have information about death and injuries.

This is the second Category 4 hurricane to develop in the Bay of Bengal and make landfall in about six months. Like Cyclone Sidr, which struck Bangladesh, killing 3,000 and devastating the rice crop, the news media paid little attention to the storm until the damage was done. A massive international relief effort followed the Bangladesh cyclone, but that nation is also ruled by a government that participates in the international community, had worked for years to prepare hurricane evacuation procedures, and was generally credited with doing all it could to limit the damage from the deadly storm.

NASA Earth Observatory
Tropical Cyclone Nargis struck Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar (Burma), with Category 4 strength.

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