CYCLONE NARGIS STRIKES MYANMAR (BURMA) MAY 3-6, 2008 INADEQUATE ADVANCE WARNING INITIAL DEATH TOLL UNDER-ESTIMATED; MAY EXCEED 50,000 THOUSANDS OF HOMES DESTROYED ONE MILLION HOMELESS

CYCLONE NARGIS APPROACHING BANGLADESH: MAY 1, 2008:

PATH OF CYCLONE NARGIS: MAY 2-3, 2008 :

CYCLONE NARGIS WARNINGS WERE INADEQUATE Advance warnings grossly underestimated the wind speeds and storm surge. People were unprepared for what happened. Ninety percent of housing in some villages destroyed.

CYCLONE NARGIS: The storm's 120 mph winds blew the roofs off hospitals, downed trees, and cut electricity to the 6.5 million in Yangon. Storm surge and torrential rain caused local flooding.

CYCLONE NARGIS: FLOODING IN OUTSKIRTS OF YANGON

CYCLONE NARGIS: BOAT CRUSHED IN YANGON:

CYCLONE NARGIS: DOWNED POWER LINE IN YANGON:

CYCLONE NARGIS: YANGON :

CYCLONE NARGIS: DOWNED TREES:

CYCLONE NARGIS: DOWNED TREES:

CYCLONE NARGIS: YANGON:

CYCLONE NARGIS: YANGON:

BUDDHIST MONKS CLEARING ROAD

USING WATER FOR A SHOWER

TAKING SHELTER IN A BUDDHIST TEMPLE

BUDDHIST NEW YEAR: A BAD TIME FOR A CYCLONE MANY PEOPLE ACROSS THE GEORAPHIC REGION WERE IN MYANAMAR CELEBRATING WATER FESTIVAL AS PART OF THE BUDDHIST NEW YEAR. THE INFLUX OF VISITORS INCREASED LOSS OF LIFE AND EXACERBATED THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE.

A BAD TIME FOR CYCLONE NARGIS: NARGIS STRUCK JUST DAYS BEFORE A REFERENDUM ON A NEW CONSTITUTION. MYANMAR, ALSO KNOWN AS BURMA, HAS BEEN UNDER MILITARY RULE SINCE 1962.

NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE: FIVE REGIONS WERE DECLARED DISASTER ZONES. THE INITIAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE WAS SLOW, PARTLY BECAUSE THE EXTENT OF THE DISASTER WAS GROSSLY UNDERESTIMATED. THE RULING MILITARY JUNTA WAS SLOW IN AAESSING THE NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE

REQUEST FOR INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE: THE RULING MILITARY JUNTA ASKED FOR INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE ON MAY 5. INTERNATIONAL OFFERS OF HELP BEGAN IMMEDIATELY, BUT MANY PROBLEM S REMAIN.

INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE: UN agencies such as UNICEF and other organizations such as World Food Program are working with the America Red Cross and other international NGO’s to determine the extent of the needs and to help meet them.