Tropical Cyclone 01B (Nargis) ripped through the Irrawaddy delta and Rangoon on Saturday morning, tearing off roofs, uprooting trees and knocking out electricity with wind speeds reaching 190 kilometers per hour (120 mph). The cyclone was rated a Category 3.
According to a UN official, the cyclone hit Latputta on the Burmese coastline at midnight on Friday and peaked in strength at 5:30 this morning hitting Rangoon, inflicting serious damage and causing floods. Heavy rains are expected to continue throughout the day.
As yet, the Burmese military government has not responded to the crisis.
According to a witness, Rangoon’s streets were empty this morning and most shops and markets were closed. Rooftops littered the street alongside trees and other debris. Overseas phone lines had been severely damaged.
A former movie star who lives in downtown Rangoon told The Irrawaddy that roads in Kamaryut, Hlaing, Myaynigone, Shwe Gone Dine and the University Avenue area had been blocked by trees that were uprooted in the storm.
“My car was nearly hit by a falling tree,” he said. “It would have been flattened.”
He said that he saw several cars in the street that had been seriously damaged.
No casualties have been reported yet, but some observers expected serious causalities in the former capital. "The cyclone wreaked havoc in Yangon (Rangoon)," said an official, adding that the Irrawaddy delta town of Bassein, 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of the former capital, was also hit. "The damage will be extensive as the cyclone passed through many densely populated areas," the official said.
The only deaths reported so far linked to the storm occurred late last night when three women drowned trying to cross a canal on the Rangoon River, according to dock workers, who refused to be identified fearing government reprisals. The women's boat capsized in rough waters and heavy winds, an Associated Press report said.
State-run MRTV and Yangon City Radio were off the air, as were the normally shaky Internet services. An official at Rangoon International Airport told AP that all incoming flights had been diverted to Mandalay in central Burma, and all departure flights from Rangoon had been cancelled.
The Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported: "Roads were blocked by fallen big trees and the city's traffic was paralyzed. Electric cable wire and telephone lines were also brought down. The mobile access was also in trouble. All flights have been canceled."
"Numerous vehicles parking on the streets were pressed to deformation by fallen trees."
"Government and public buildings were severely damaged, with a large number of commercial signboards set up in the public areas and in front of their respective shops blown off. Nearly all satellite dishes erected at top of the roofs by the public and individuals were crushed to pieces."
On Friday, The Irrawaddy reported that the Burmese military government was ill-prepared for the storm let alone to warn residents in the coastal regions of Sittwe in Arakan State and the Irrawaddy delta. Unconfirmed reports earlier suggested that there have been heavy causalities and serious damage in the Irrawaddy delta. These reports could not be independently confirmed.
A doctor in Pegu, south of Rangoon, also told The Irrawaddy on Saturday afternoon that the road to Pegu was blocked by fallen trees.
“Last night [Friday], the wind was not so severe,” she said. “It gained strength and intensified at about 9 a.m. this morning [Saturday].”
International humanitarian organizations need to seek permission from the regime to react to the crisis and may not therefore be able to provide emergency relief and assistance to people who are injured or who are left homeless.
There are no reports as yet on how the cyclone might affect the May 10 referendum.
The Irrawaddy will update and report on the causalities and damage inflicted by Cyclone 01B (Nargis).
According to a UN official, the cyclone hit Latputta on the Burmese coastline at midnight on Friday and peaked in strength at 5:30 this morning hitting Rangoon, inflicting serious damage and causing floods. Heavy rains are expected to continue throughout the day.
As yet, the Burmese military government has not responded to the crisis.
According to a witness, Rangoon’s streets were empty this morning and most shops and markets were closed. Rooftops littered the street alongside trees and other debris. Overseas phone lines had been severely damaged.
A former movie star who lives in downtown Rangoon told The Irrawaddy that roads in Kamaryut, Hlaing, Myaynigone, Shwe Gone Dine and the University Avenue area had been blocked by trees that were uprooted in the storm.
“My car was nearly hit by a falling tree,” he said. “It would have been flattened.”
He said that he saw several cars in the street that had been seriously damaged.
No casualties have been reported yet, but some observers expected serious causalities in the former capital. "The cyclone wreaked havoc in Yangon (Rangoon)," said an official, adding that the Irrawaddy delta town of Bassein, 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of the former capital, was also hit. "The damage will be extensive as the cyclone passed through many densely populated areas," the official said.
The only deaths reported so far linked to the storm occurred late last night when three women drowned trying to cross a canal on the Rangoon River, according to dock workers, who refused to be identified fearing government reprisals. The women's boat capsized in rough waters and heavy winds, an Associated Press report said.
State-run MRTV and Yangon City Radio were off the air, as were the normally shaky Internet services. An official at Rangoon International Airport told AP that all incoming flights had been diverted to Mandalay in central Burma, and all departure flights from Rangoon had been cancelled.
The Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported: "Roads were blocked by fallen big trees and the city's traffic was paralyzed. Electric cable wire and telephone lines were also brought down. The mobile access was also in trouble. All flights have been canceled."
"Numerous vehicles parking on the streets were pressed to deformation by fallen trees."
"Government and public buildings were severely damaged, with a large number of commercial signboards set up in the public areas and in front of their respective shops blown off. Nearly all satellite dishes erected at top of the roofs by the public and individuals were crushed to pieces."
On Friday, The Irrawaddy reported that the Burmese military government was ill-prepared for the storm let alone to warn residents in the coastal regions of Sittwe in Arakan State and the Irrawaddy delta. Unconfirmed reports earlier suggested that there have been heavy causalities and serious damage in the Irrawaddy delta. These reports could not be independently confirmed.
A doctor in Pegu, south of Rangoon, also told The Irrawaddy on Saturday afternoon that the road to Pegu was blocked by fallen trees.
“Last night [Friday], the wind was not so severe,” she said. “It gained strength and intensified at about 9 a.m. this morning [Saturday].”
International humanitarian organizations need to seek permission from the regime to react to the crisis and may not therefore be able to provide emergency relief and assistance to people who are injured or who are left homeless.
There are no reports as yet on how the cyclone might affect the May 10 referendum.
The Irrawaddy will update and report on the causalities and damage inflicted by Cyclone 01B (Nargis).
