Myanmar Cyclone Disaster Worsens

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Myanmar Cyclone Disaster Worsens

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Myanmar is located in southern Asia

AID DELAYED: Myanmar’s government announced Tuesday that the official death toll now exceeds 22,000, with more than 40,000 people still listed as missing. Meanwhile aid agencies struggle to gain access to the country.

by Mike Maxwell
Informify Staff Writer
May 6, 2008

The scale of the disaster in Myanmar continues to grow as new information becomes available. Four days after the intense storm hit, many roads are still blocked, and many communication lines are still down.

Deadly Tidal Wave Swept Low Villages

It appears that most Burmese died not because of strong winds or collapsing buildings, but because the huge storm flooded low-lying areas of Myanmar.

“More deaths were caused by the tidal wave than the storm itself," said Maung Maung Swe, Myanmar’s minister for relief and resettlement. “The wave was up to 12 feet high and it swept away and inundated half the houses in low-lying villages,” he said. “They did not have anywhere to flee.” (Reuters, 5/6/08)

The worsening shortage of food and clean water threaten survivors. The World Food Program (WFP) fears more than 1 million people in Myanmar are now homeless, and that most of the land used for growing food was destroyed by the storm/

Military Leaders Block Aid, USA Pitches In

A military junta controls Myanmar’s government. So far it has refused access to aid organizations wanting to help, even as the scale of the disaster unfolds. While some aid groups have arrived and assessed the damage, others are still waiting for government-issued visas.

The United States gave $250,000 in emergency aid directly to Myanmar’s government. President Bush said the United States is ready to provide much more aid on the condition that Myanmar allows an American disaster team into the country.

Sources

As Myanmar Reels, Election Is Delayed in Some Areas (New York Times, 5/6/08)

Myanmar cyclone death toll soars past 22,000: state radio (AP, 5/6/08)

Myanmar says cyclone death toll tops 15,000 (AFP, 5/6/08)

MMyanmar cyclone toll climbs to nearly 22,500 (Reuters, 5/6/08)

Question for Readers:

Do you think foreign militaries should help aid agencies get into Myanmar to assist people displaced by the storm?

Myanmar Election Postponed

The military controls the Myanmar (Burma) government. This junta pushed for constitutional reforms to reinforce its grip on power:

Bowing to wide-scale pressure, Myanmar’s military junta agreed to postpone the national constitutional referendum scheduled for May 10—at least in the areas most affected by the cyclone.
Some disaster victims criticized the government for not sufficiently informing them about the cyclone and the need to prepare for it. They also accuse the government of not being prepared to deal with the cyclone’s aftermath.
Because of this, the referendum election may turn into an opportunity for citizens to vent their frustration with the military junta.

"Our biggest fear is that the aftermath could be more lethal than the storm itself."