Hpong Latt Aung

The lampposts fell, the electricity went out, there was no water, and the living conditions have deteriorated to the lowest levels. I have never experienced this kind of event. For the sake of all the people of Myanmar, we should resolve this tragedy quickly.

Pyae Phyo Han

Nargis struck Myanmar from 12:00AM of May 2nd to 3PM of May 3rd. Neither of my grandparents has ever experienced this kind of storm. The storm devastated not only Yangon but also Laputta, Haing Kyi, Chaung Wa, and some other places. Many people died. Many trees fell. There was a lot of flooding. This is a truly terrible event. There are many homeless refugees. Despite these wretched conditions, countless greedy businessmen sell the sheets of iron roofing for 20,000K ($1=1100K). Before the price was between 3000-4000K. Before a pack of nails was 1000K. Now they are 15,000K. The bus fares are 3 to 4 times higher. Our school was also damaged by Nargis. All the trees that sheltered the school fell. The fence has also collapsed. There is no water and our school is closed for at least one month. It won’t be easy to restore Yagon’s beauty. The internet cafes are closed. But some are open for 1800-2000K per hour.

Hnin Pwint Phyu - violin student

My name is Hnin Pwint Phyu. I’m a violin student from Gitameit Music music center. On the evening of Friday May 2, a storm came to Yangon. It had very strong winds which tore through the windows of many houses, including our own. Then winds also pulled off our roof which caused much water to come into our home. We have never experienced a storm like this. At about 12:30 the next day, the rains stopped. The churches and houses near my home were severely damaged. The electricity was cut. All the trees and lampposts from around my area collapsed. Water surged into the houses for 2 to 3 hours. We tried to bail the water out with buckets. In my quarter, there are about 200 homeless people. Many people died from Laputta. Near Kyoun Pyaw, many people disappeared off the face of the earth. There isn’t any electricity. If we want to get water using a generator, it costs 3000K per hour. But we didn’t get enough water. If we want to repair the roof for our house, one sheet of iron roofing costs 28,000K. I saw many fallen trees at Shwedagon Pagoda. There is no electricity and the car fares are higher. All of the food prices have risen. Near Gitameik, we have a refugee camp with 800 homeless people. I heard that many people died in Hlaing Thar Yar. These are my experiences from Nargis.

U Kin Zaw - student parent

The Wrath of Nargis

On May 2nd at 11PM to May 3rd at 11AM, Yangon was devastated. This experience has been a nightmare. On the 2nd of May at 11PM, it started to rain. The gusts of wind and rains gradually became stronger. On the 3rd of May at 1AM, the billowing winds ripped up strips of iron roofing off of my house and the rains poured into my house. Parts of the roofing were not totally pulled off. They were dancing in the wind and clinging like cymbals. The velocity of the winds was 80KPH. Then our entire roof blew away. Eventually the whole house was shaking and everyone ran outside. We couldn’t stand beneath the trees because we were afraid that they would collapse right over us. In the sky, we saw many sheets of roof flying like the magic carpet from Aladdin and the magic lamp. We have no place to run. We couldn’t help each other. A Myanmar proverb says: “There is no place to run.” That day this proverb came to life. In the end, people stopped trying to recover their lost properties and they tried to merely stay alive. If my house is about to collapse, how can I take shelter? How could I avoid the dangers of the flying iron sheets from the roofs? Have you ever watched the movie Titanic? When the Titanic was slowly sinking, there was no place for people to run. Our experience was just like the sinking Titanic. Nargis was terrifying.

Zay Yar - guitar student

We knew about Nargis on the evening of May 2nd. But we didn’t think this Nargis would be this bad. We have never experienced a storm like this in our country. So how could we have prepared for a storm like this? Some thought that it would be only heavy rain and strong winds. I was shocked that the storm was this bad. But in our quarter, the conditions of the buildings were no so bad, only the roofs blew away. The satellite dishes were ripped apart. Trees and lampposts fell down. It was that bad. But in Irrawaddy division, the coast, the villages, the towns were in a much worse situation than us. Many people died, many disappeared, many were injured, and many are homeless. Food is scarce. I feel really sorry for everyone. I pray that this will never happen again.

Bosco - pianist

I have never experienced anything like this terrible uninvited storm. Because this is a natural disaster, we can’t blame anyone. This storm made many people homeless. Trees fell down. Houses and lampposts were destroyed. Transportation and communication are extremely difficult. Most people have difficulty getting food. There is no electricity and water. This situation is very difficult for the average person. Because factories, offices, and schools were destroyed, people can’t go to work. This is a vicious circle of suffering. So if it is possible, please help the people who suffered from the cruelty of the storm.

Mee Mee - Piano student

Four people live in my house in North Dagon. One cousin and one uncle from Mandalay are staying at my house. On the morning of the 2nd of May, my teacher told us about the storm and advised us to go home early. They told me that the storm would start at 7PM. But the storm didn’t start at 7PM. So we watch television from 8PM to 10PM with a battery. Then the wind started to gradually build. Although my cousin slept well, I couldn’t sleep at all. I was really scared of the winds. Then I heard the clatter of the iron sheets of roofing slamming against the house. Then I heard my uncle praying. I also heard my mother praying. I also started to recite Buddhist prayers. Then I heard the frightening sounds of the iron sheets being ripped off the roofs of my neighbors’ houses. We were so scared that we couldn’t sleep. We just prayed. We put our fates in the hands of the Buddha. Then my mother told my brother to secure the sheets on the roof with nails. But the wind was terribly strong. So it was impossible. The westside of the roof blew off. We cried and cried. One sheet of iron roofing flew off after another. I was pale with fright. Then the rain came and we tried to cover our clothes and books with plastic. We were soaking wet. We hid under the small sections of roof that weren’t torn off with our 3 cats. Then the wind became stronger and the walls began to collapse. We supported the walls hoping that they wouldn’t collapse. Between 6-7AM, the rain became heavier. There were just a few pieces of sheets on the roof. My brother tried to get his friends. We were all shaking with fear in the cold. All of the fences collapsed. There were many mangoes scattered on the ground. My brother told me to stay in his fenced house. So my uncle, cousin, and I went to his house. That house provided good shelter. But the ground was flooded. Then we ate some rice and noodles. Although we had good shelter and food, we were worried about our parents and pets. The rain stopped around 12 noon and we went back to our house. We collected all of our most valuable possessions. Our house was torn apart from the violent rains and winds of the storm. I will never forget that scene. I never want to experience that kind of disaster ever again. I saw many trees and houses were damaged in the down town area. Even though the storm is finished, I am worried about how we can clean up with terrible mess.

Mun Mun - Voice student

The wind started at 11PM on May 2nd. I couldn’t help but staring at this storm. I had never experienced something like that. I couldn’t sleep for a long time. I fell asleep at 2 in the morning. Then I woke up at 3AM because of the heavy rains and flooding in our apartment. Our apartment is on the top floor and all of the iron sheets of the roof flew away. Then a lot of water flooded our apartment. Three of us tried to bail the water out of the apartment with buckets. We became very cold and were shivering. When the entire roof was pulled off, we couldn’t stay there anymore. So we can down to the theater hall. It was very difficult to walk because of the strong winds. So we held onto each other and walked together. I saw damaged shops under some felled trees in the dim light of morning. On Saturday at noon, the winds stopped. Then we went up to our apartment and we saw that everything was soaking wet and flooded. We moved the television and some important things. We ate rice that was given by an officer from the theater. We slept in the theater that night with some other families. We only drank a little bit of water because it was scarce. The next morning, I saw a clear sky and was relieved.

Ngai Ngai - vocal student

The storm started on the 2nd of May at 10PM and ended the morning of May 3rd. In this period, Nargis blew with force. I saw the sheets of iron from the roofs in the sky. Then trees fell down. One coconut tree flew into our compound and hit the windshield of the car. It shattered of course. By looking at the storm, I came to the conclusion that this was going to be very big. When I went out onto the street to look, all the lampposts and trees fell down. It seemed like there was nothing left to fall. I saw that Rangoon was no longer a big city. It looked like a jungle. Because all the electrical wires were knocked down, it was dark. The phones and internet were disconnected. Because of the storm damage, the people were facing many difficulties with food, water, and shelter. After the damage of the storm, the people had arrived in a sea of suffering from which they could not be rescued. Food prices rose more and more. The price of diesel started to skyrocket. Everything became difficult. There were so many corpses that it was impossible to dig enough graves. The number of people who suffered injures from the storm gradually increased. As a Burmese person, from the bottom of my heart I would like to call upon the NGOs from the international community to take pity on us and come to Burma as soon as possible and help. God Bless All.

Htike Chit Su

I am Htike Chit Su from Mogok. I have lived in Yangon for 2 months. I have heard of this kind of storm but have never experienced one. It was raining the day before the storm. We only got news that there was going to be a storm around 9 in the evening. But I didn’t think it was going to be a serious storm. Around 8 or 9 in the evening, the wind started to get strong. By 11, the intensity increased and was accompanied by rain. The sounds of falling trees were heard between the roars of the storm. Since we were living on the first floor, we couldn’t see anything clearly. My only thoughts were of the blowing wind and the falling raining. Inside of our apartment building, we were rained on a little bit. The balcony was full of water. I knew that the TV antennas had all blown over. That’s all I knew. That’s how we passed the night. In the morning the storm was still blowing. The sound of the wind roaring was frightening. I had gone through rain and wind in Mogok of course. But I was so startled and afraid to experience a storm like this, one that I had never experienced in my whole life. I was still in the house so I hadn’t seen the destruction outside. The wind was still blowing hard. But I could already see that the trees had broken. Just seeing the trees blowing back and forth between the wind and the rain was enough to frighten me. Thinking about eating breakfast, I looked at the clock to see that it was 8:30. Since I still couldn’t go outside, I had a light breakfast and coffee, just enough sate my hunger. Workers who must work everyday to eat did not get to eat that day. Because I was at my friend’s house, I was apart from my family and frightened. I was really worried because my house is on the top floor of a building in Thingan Kyun. My brother and mother were at home. There was no way to get in contact with my home because the phone and the electricity were out. Sitting by the window looking out at the storm, the two of us thought about how much destruction there was. Around 12PM, the wind and the rain began to die down. We could only clear away the water that came in from the balcony. Around 5, we went out and looked around. We were shocked by the sheer scale of destruction. At Tamwe junction, big bodhi trees and billboards had fallen over and were blocking the road. The trees on both sides of the road were also blown over. There were hardly any apartment buildings that still had roofs. The iron sheets from the roof and satellite dishes were in pieces. The broken glass and buildings made the city look as if it had been destroyed. The people around there were saying that nothing like that had ever happen in Yangon. I wasn’t able to get in contact with anyone. We still had food leftover from what we bought the day before. We couldn’t fill the water tanks because there was no electricity- so now there was no water. We were lucky because it wasn’t very hot and we didn’t have to take a shower. The next day someone donated water on the street. People were getting water from a deep tube well and distributing it. People had to line up to get it. We had to wait in line. This problem was causing a lot of misery. There were a lot of people waiting in line. We had to sit and wait for 2 hours to get water. After we got water, we were going to take it home to take a shower. There were only a few buses. For a trip that normally costs 50K, the buses were asking 500K. Even after that, there was no place to sit on the bus. So we got home exhausted and frustrated. We went to a friend’s house to talk. The friend said that the electricity should be out for 2 or 3 months. Then we heard that Laputta and Phyapon were totally destroyed. A friend told us that only a quarter of Laputta was left. Aside from having problems with drinking water and bath water, people were beginning to starve. We couldn’t listen to the news because we didn’t have any electricity. We just had to listen to what other people told us. A good number of the townships within Rangoon division were destroyed. With the roofs blown off, some of the houses were nearly destroyed. People who must work everyday to eat were really going to be in trouble. Since they weren’t going to be able to work, they weren’t going to eat. Some places didn’t have busses running. Prices had gone up. So people will have trouble buying things to eat. They haven’t been able to fix the broken power lines yet. We can’t expect electricity to come any time soon. There are so many people that they can’t fit in the refugee camps. They need a lot of food and water. Even though I really want to help, I’m not able to accomplish much because I have so many problems of my own. I’m really sad about that. I want to ask that people help relieve this disaster which I myself cannot help. This is what all the refugees want.

U khin Zaw - account of the storm

Incident occurs at the time 23:00 hours (Myanmar Standard Time 23:00 MST)

We Myanmars have no experiences on such a deadly storm for more than five decades. For me as a man of nearly sixty years of age have never heard or never will like that deadly storm "cyclone Nargis".

The winds starts slowly 23:00 MST and on next day 3rd May 1:00 MST . The momentum raised to 40 mph. At 6.00 MST it raised to 75 mph. No one in the family couldn’t sleep all night. The meteorology department announced the storm’s movements frequently on the T.V. It said the radius of the cyclone was 150 miles. Its velocity was 120 to 150 mph. The edge of the cyclone slowly penetrated the delta region. The eye of the storm went across the delta region: so the towns that lie in the Delta region were mostly devastated, especially the towns of Bogalay, Layeethe, Mawfamyaung Gyum.

The officials announced the death toll as forty thousand lone and the missing as fifty thousand. In my opinion the death toll is over one hundred thousand villagers.

The scene after Yangon is the apocalypse as talked about in mythology. The ruins can see all one the towns and the urban area. The yangon citizens may never forget this mighty storm of cyclone Nagis.

Dasli Khin Law - Piano student

I’m from Mandalay and I’m here since April 25 because I was take an exam for Music Theory that will occur on June 14th. In my opinion I will stay here calmly. But I found this storm Nagis, I am very disappointed and very afraid. I haven’t seen such a large storm before and this is my first experience. Now, we have many problems such as canceling the classes, lack of water and electricity. The storm “Nagis” started at 12 o’clock during the night of May 2nd and it finished at 10 o’clock in the afternoon. It’s very strong and it acted in 80 mph at North Dagon. There are so many victims in every block. The home where I lived was ruined that night. And all of my books are ruined. But I think that is my problem and is nothing to speak about and its very fortunate that my father and I didn’t get injured. At the moment, everything’s shooting up and many victims stay in refuge camps. And they need the time to repair their houses. As soon as I arrived here, I’m not used to this city and then I found this storm “Nagis”. The people who lived in Yangon didn’t feel the storm very much. In other divisions, the mortality rate is 30,000 or more.

Thit Ti - Piano student

I think this is the first time this has even happened in Myanmar. I have never experienced or seen this kind of event. This is very frightening and sad. There are many sites that are difficult to believe. While I was watching the storm, trees fell, the roof fell off, the fans broke off the ceiling, lamp posts fell and many houses were destroyed . Things are okay in Yangon. However, in other places like the coast, the conditions are very bad. Whole villages were destroyed. Many people became homeless and many died . There is much flooding. It all stated on the night of may 2 and finished the evening of may 3rd. Food is scarce and expensive. Contamination is everywhere and electricity is cut off. Water is also scarce. There are many people in Refugee camps. Our school is trying to help people as much as we can. We are trying to raise money for medicine and food for the starving people. There are many places that are trying to help like Hlaing Tharyar, Shwe Pauk Kan and Shwe pei Trar.

Yae Wynnt Oaung - Voice student

That evening on May 2,08, the news that a storm was moving toward Yangon spread widely among people who thought only of strong pour of rain and no hint of hazardous gale along with rain. People talked about the news in excitement but no preparation was done. That evening, staff and personnel from both government and private organizations were dismissed off work early and it started raining cats and dogs and on and on. The light had been cut out since the start of rain. People were still at ease and thought light of the storm. They misbelieved that the storm would pass round Yangon and moved toward Thailand.

The wind got stronger and stronger at about 11 pm. At 11:30 pm, my two friends and I went out to have supper in belief that the rain and wind would break at any minute and that the storm was passing beyond Yangon. Just 15 yards away from the school and we dashed back to school in a run for we found it difficult to wade and maneuver though the strong wave of wind and rain. Since that hour, wind and rain wouldn’t go tapers-off. We heard rattling of school’s roof and that of neighbors’. Trees swung noisily along current of wind. Sometimes we felt the school building was shaking. All people stayed awoke and were worried about the strength of their houses because many houses in the surroundings were rackety and built weak.

At the hour of three in the morning on May 3, 08, the school’s roof began to leak and the rattling sound got louder and the wind and rain seemed more furious. Some people from neighborhood got out of their houses and sheltered themselves under the roofs of their neighbors’ houses. Among 15 rooms at school, all rooms leaked except the altar room.

We heard the whistling and wailing of wind and the cracking of tree branches. Two trees, at the back of the school building and one start-flower tree at the front near the gate were uprooted above the ground and knocked down the brick wall nearby. Corrugated sheets of zinc roof were spotted flying down onto each other’s roof. The moment was disastrous and chaotic. The climax of the storm occurred at 6 in the morning and we saw many people shouting at each other and running in the narrow passages.

All 10 students hurried climbing up and down the stairs moving down all the stuffs (books and music recordings and computers). Part of the roof of the hall was poked hollow by mango branches and water leaked in. Many pianos, books and electricity appliances were moved one place to another finding for dry places.

The wind and rain broke off at about 11 am. People emerged out of their home and saw damage everywhere: branches, trunks, pieces of roof, broken glass, fallen electricity posts and big tree trunks blocked all streets. People wade through water to collect blown piece of roof and fixed the roof up as soon as possible. Corrugated sheets and accessories such as nails became less and less available and so were food, but prices kept soaring. A foot length of corrugated sheet cost between 1500 to 1800 kyats, and a pen of nail even cost 500 kyats. The prices were ridiculous but people had to buy them. Over 200 households lost their homes from near surroundings.

Kotoh

At 12:00 noon of 3rd May 2008 somebody warned me that a big cyclone is coming. The information had been reached us already two days ahead. We were talking about not he storm but its diameter and m.p.h. It was beyond our previous experience.

I got back my home at 5:00 in the evening. My place is in a slum not very far from downtown Yangon. I told my 86 year old mother about the storm coming. I requested her to get downstairs for better protection if the unwanted guest arrives.

At 09:00 p.m. I turned to foreign broadcasting stations and got more detailed warnings. Soon a little strong breeze came in. It grew stronger and stronger. The storm was whistling at first. Later the whistling turned rumbling. At 10:48 p.m. I noticed a first feeling of fright in my body, I thought. At 11:45 the first one of our corrugated roofing sheets flew away. I told my mother, “Mother, it’s time to get downstairs.” When we got downstairs I saw our roofing was ruined badly.

We, my mother, my niece and me were sitting on the floor without talking. We could hear all the noises out doors and indoors. The sounds are all assorted made by breaking trees, wire posts, buildings, flying roofing sheets, but no human voice. I thought everybody might be stunned with fright.

At 1:00 a.m. the next morning we heard somebody shouting and saw a saving beam of a flash light. A young boy shout at us “Come out grandma, come out right away. There are some houses falling down.” Then, more shouts repeated the same urge. Community young men. When I open my door I saw a big branch of a tree had fallen and locked my entrance way. Young people jumped over the tree branches and get inside. They grabbed my panic stricken mother and carried her to a nearby stout building. That is our neighbor’s place. We all took refuge in that place all soaked in water. Everybody even inside shelters were all soaked in water. We all were waiting the dawn in the hope of degrading the pours of the storm. The dawn arrived, but the power of the storm did not cease. It grew more and more tremendous. The dawn finally came to us not to save us but to enable us to witness the sight of the infernal storm. Now, we could see the damages. We could see how old pillars of a big temple building were carried away by wind and rain.

The storm, Nargis calmed down at 11:00 a.m. the following morning. Every visible thing is in heaps of debris. Every house in our community was badly ruined. My home’s corrugated sheet roofing and two walls were all torn out. Every household things is soaked in muddy water and ruined. Big Pagoda Temple was badly damaged. Every tree was upturned from roots. All power line posts were fallen. No electricity, no drinking water. No clothing to change. Many people injured. One woman (about 40-45 of age) was killed by a falling tree. Local young people are very helpful. They gravely carried out what they could in the most dangerous storm. Now, everybody is in search of drinking water. No survival team shows up. No paramedics. No policemen. No local authority. Everything is now carried out on self-help scheme. Hoses stand as they were. Small parts of the damages are now being fixed as do it yourself projects.

The lost is big I think. The lost of public property. The lost of private property. The lost of poor sources of education. The lost of peoples’ mental confidence and physical health. The loss of (may be) a society.