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Disaster management
Myanmar - Cyclone Nargis
Myanmar: Cyclone Nargis (Photo REUTERS AlertNet)

On 2 May 2008 tropical cyclone Nargis hit the coast of Myanmar and devastated large parts of the low-lying Irrawaddy delta. Winds exceeding 190 kilometres per hour ripped through the Myanmar’s biggest city Yangon for more than ten hours. Homes were flattened, more sturdy structures damaged, trees uprooted and power lines downed. In rural parts of the country up to 95 per cent of homes were wiped off the face of the earth.

This is a situation that the country has not dealt with before and the scale of the needs is clearly massive. Casualty figures continue to rise. The International Federation estimates that more than two million people have lost their homes or been severely affected.

Photo galleries
Myanmar - Cyclone Nargis, September 2008
Myanmar - delta region, cyclone “Nargis”, May 2008
Myanmar, cyclone “Nargis”, May 2008
Myanmar, cyclone “Nargis”, May 2008
Press releases
9 July 2008
Red Cross Red Crescent launches revised emergency appeal
19 May 2008
Red Cross Red Crescent aid for cyclone survivors increases dramatically
16 May 2008
Red Cross Red Crescent launches 50 million Swiss franc emergency appeal
14 May 2008
Forecast heavy rain "worst scenario imaginable," says Red Cross Red Crescent
13 May 2008
Senior Red Cross Red Crescent aid worker returns from devastated delta
12 May 2008
Red Cross Red Crescent establishes relief pipeline into Myanmar
9 May 2008
Red Cross Red Crescent relief operation continues as more aid arrives in Yangon
9 May 2008
First Red Cross Red Crescent relief flight arrives
8 May 2008
World Red Cross Red Crescent Day: honouring the thousands of volunteers helping survivors in Myanmar
6 May 2008
Thousands of Red Cross volunteers on the ground as International Federation launches emergency appeal
5 May 2008
Red Cross distributes relief items after deadly cyclone devastates delta region
More International Federation press releases
Operation updates and appeals
9 September 2008
Operations update no.21 - Three-month consolidated report
8 July 2008
Second revised emergency appeal (MDRMM002)
16 May 2008
Revised emergency appeal (MDRMM002)
16 May 2008
Donor response
6 May 2008
Emergency appeal no.MDRMM002
5 May 2008
DREF bulletin
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Video: Red Cross Red Crescent response to Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar
Bridget Gardner, International Federation's head of delegation in Myanmar (p17620)
By Bridget Gardner, International Federation's head of delegation in Myanmar since January 2006. Bridget has extensive Red Cross Red Crescent experience. She worked with ICRC in Geneva and with the International Federation and Australian Red Cross in Laos and the Solomon Islands.
Other International Federation videos
Facts and figures
Facts and figures as of 15 August 2008
Situation map
Map of the affected area
Multimedia
Google Earth
Latest related news
Saw Kay Htoo at the children protection center. Htoo lost his parents and ten siblings when Cyclone Nargis ravaged the Ayeyarwaddy Delta that fateful night in May. (p18511)10 October 2008
Children of the cyclone
Cyclone Nargis left hundreds of children orphaned and vulnerable. These are the stories of Htoo and Pont Pont. You could be forgiven for thinking that Saw Kay Htoo is just like any other 11-year-old boy. Walking home from school with a beaming smile and chatting with his classmates, there are no obvious signs of the tragedy he has lived through.
Read the full story
More related news
Opinon pieces and speeches
(p13124)23 May 2008 - Opinion piece
Myanmar: twenty-one nights
With the Myanmar government indicating it may allow aid workers into the country, the task of reaching Burma's remoter regions becomes even more pressing. Every night, the dire situation facing hundreds of thousands of cyclone survivors grows more and more desperate. Solutions tailored to Myanmar just have to be found.
Read the full opinion piece
25 May 2008 - Speech
Myanmar and cyclone Nargis
More opinion pieces and speeches from the International Federation
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