Myat Thura

Cyclone Nargis Destruction

The following is an email from a friend who actually visited the cyclone hit Bogalay in Irrawaddy delta of Myanmar. Actually I havn't seen much at Bogalay as the Thidagu monestry is located at the entrance of Bogalay. But it's not on the main road that we hv to go abt 15min towards the river. The monestry is built on the bank of the river that they distribute all the materials with boats to the affected villeges that cannot be reached by cars. The route is like Nyaung Done---Ma Au Bin---Kyeik Lat----Phyar Bone---Bo Ga Lay. After we passed Kyeik Lat there are lines of people on both sides of the road hoping for some donations by passing by cars until we reach Bogalay. I think there will be more than 10,000 people. Those people previously lived in the paddy fields on the left and right side of the road. Now their homes were destroyed and the fields were filled by water that it is not even possible to walk through. So, they move to the road side and some of them could bu...

Burmese Buddhists pray at Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon on Buddha's birthday, May 19. (Photo: Reuters) Myanmar starts National Mourning for the victims of Cyclone Nargis today. The three days mourning starts from 9 AM today until 22 May. Flags were lowered to half mast all over the country. In Yangon, shops are still open. Thousands of worshippers crowd Yangon's holiest pagoda to pray for victims of the cyclone. Worshippers chanted prayers, burned incense and released birds around the grounds of the temple. The pagoda complex was closed for five days for repairs, but was open again on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Myanmar government has allowed the ASEAN led relief operation to do relief efforts in Irrawaddy delta region, during the summit in Simgapore. According to Myanmar foreign minister U Nyan Win, the loss due to Cyclone Nargis is estimated to be around ten billion US dollars. Technorati Tags     National , Myanmar , Cyclone , Nargis , Burma , Mourning

The following is the translation from Myanmar blogger Nyi Lynn Seck about Cyclone Nargis. "What we knew was that the wind speed would be around 50 miles per hour. When flood water came, all our family ran to upstairs. During that time, wind was also blowing quite rough, and water waves were hitting the house. Our house's pillars were quite large. Even such large pillars became loose. When water reached the upper floor, I pushed my two younger sisters above the ceiling beams. It was very dark and I sould not see anything properly. I suddenly saw mother was flushed way with a wave from father's hand. When I tried to grab my mother, she shouted and pushed me back. When I turned my head to my two sisters, they were gone. A wave hit me and I was thrown out into the water. I took off all the clothes and swam my best. I could not see anything. Finally, I was so depressed and thought I would die soon. I prayed for Lord Buddha. Suddenly, I saw two pieces of wood, and I grabbed hold...

Here are some photos of my house and around after cyclone Nargis in Yangon, Myanmar. Living room during cyclone Nargis when the roof was blown off Covering with whatever available during Cyclone Nargis when the roof was blown off. Ceiling blown off after the cyclone Blown off ware house Satellite dish blown off of the roof Finally have to remove all the satellite dishes from the roof The whole street is blocked Where should I go? Technorati Tags     Yangon , Myanmar , Cyclone , Nargis , Burma

Death toll in Myanmar rises dramatically, the official New Light of myanmar announced on 17 May 2008. The official death toll from the official New Light of Myanmar are as follows: Death: 77738 Missing: 55917 Injury: 19359 Source: New Light of Myanmar May 17 2008 Technorati Tags     Death , Myanmar , Cyclone , Nargis , Burma

Here is the official casualty from Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar as of 15 May 2008. Death: 38,491 Missing: 27,838 Source: New Light of Myanmar