Let's Help the Victims in Arakan

Prayer Ceremonies Held for Giri Anniversary

2011-10-30T06:02:00.001-07:00

Narinjara News

Prayer ceremonies were held at home and abroad to observe the anniversary of Cyclone Giri that slammed into the coast of western Burma's Arakan State on the 22nd of October 2010.

The ceremonies were held in Kyaukpru and Taungok in Arakan State and in Mae Sot and Phukhet in Thailand.

U Aung Marm Oo, the director of the Arakan Human Rights Organization, said a prayer ceremony was held in a Buddhist monastery in Maepa Village in Thailand’s Mae Sot in order to make people more aware if what had happened during Cyclone Giri.

“We hold this ceremony especially to draw attention from the ethnic Burmese community as well as from the international community, and to make them aware of what really happened during that cyclone in Arakan State”, said Aung Marm Oo.

Attendees at the ceremony lit candles and prayed silently for a while according to their various religious faiths, for those who were killed and affected by the cyclone, and then speeches were given.

U Khine Oo Maung, the director of a migrant school on the Thai-Burmese border, said the natural calamity came as a result of damaging the natural environment, in his speech at the ceremony.

“Natural disasters were very rare in our childhood in Arakan State, but they are now quite frequently occurring because the natural environment that was a natural shield to such disasters has been badly damaged due to the greedy exploitation of natural resources by the Burmese military dictators in our region”, said Khine Oo Maung.

U Shwe Nhin, a Karen freedom fighter and headmaster of the migrant school, also spoke in the ceremony and said that he prays every Sunday and would continue his prayers, hoping that all people in Burma will be free from natural disasters and oppressed lives, and for peace and development in the country.

Videos and slideshows of photos from the Giri affected areas were presented in the ceremony in Mae Sot and over 120 people, including representatives of the Arakanese and other ethnic organizations, individuals and migrant workers attended in the ceremony.

A prayer ceremony was held in memory of the Giri Cyclone by the Laywady Arakanese Social Organization in Phuket in Thailand as well. “We hold this ceremony to mourn and pray for those who were killed and badly affected by Cyclone Giri on this day last year," said Ko Soe Myint, the president of the Laywady Organization. Mourning and prayer ceremonies were also held on the anniversary of Cyclone Giri in Kyaukpru and Taungok in Arakan State.

Cyclone Giri hit hardest on the townships of Kyaukpru, Mraybon, Pauktaw and Ann in Arakan State on 22 October 2011, leaving nearly 100 people killed, 70,975 peoples homeless and over 2, 60,000 affected.

Burma: Cyclones affect more and more Women

2011-10-30T06:01:00.001-07:00

Narinjara News

Nava Thakuria
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Even as the military rulers of Burma (Myanmar) completed a general election in November 2010 and a new so-called democratic regime is installed in the poverty stricken country, millions of Burmese are still living in terrible conditions in the cyclones Nargis and Giri affected areas, with many without pure drinking water and food or proper shelter.

The lives of hundred thousand poor Burmese women have not changed though there are some plastic changes like the release of pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and many other from jails, regular sittings of parliamentarians in their new capital Nay Pyi Taw and so on.

Burma receives international media headlines with the flawed constitution and electoral laws that finally prevented the pro-democracy icon Suu Kyi to take part in the November 2010 polls. Her party National League for Democracy, which recorded massive victory in the last general election in 1990- but denied power by the junta- even faced forced dissolution as it did not register with the election commission as a mark of protest. The recent visit of Burmese President Thein Sein to India on October 12 -15, 2011 was an attempt to improve its tie with the largest democracy of the globe and also enhance the Southeast Asian country’s image as a welfare nation. But the ground reality remains almost the same.

Since the day when the devastating tropical cyclone Nargis struck Burma (Myanmar) on May 2, 2008, the women survivors remain worst sufferers. Despite the fact that three full years passed since fateful night, the relief from international agencies, originally blocked by the then military regime, remains sporadic, paltry and tragically late, those all compiled to the continued agony for the poor Burmese people primarily women and children. The cyclone, originating in the Bay of Bengal, ripped a trail of destruction across the Irrawaddy and Rangoon divisions and also ravaged parts of the Bago, Mon and Kayin regions. A water wall of four meters high is said to have rolled some 25 miles inland across the Irrawaddy River Valley, flattening everything in its path. Although the military government reported the final death toll as 84,537, with 53,836 missing, independent estimates are that 140,000 were killed and tens of thousands more have never been found. The cyclone devastated the already spavined social infrastructure, and wiped out paddy fields, which at the time were being readied for the country's primary rice crop. Even one of latest reports of Human Rights Watch, New York reveals that the Burmese government continues to deny basic freedoms and place undue restrictions on aid agencies despite significant gains in rehabilitating areas devastated by the cyclone Nargis. Mentionable is that the then Burmese group of generals named State Peace and Development Council initially did not allow international aids to its own people initially and thus they received condemnation and brickbats from the international community for their callous and cruel attitude.

“For nearly five decades, Burma's military rulers had systematically undermined the interests of their own citizens. It wasn't until days into the tragedy, goaded by international criticism, that the SPDC chief senior general Than Shwe found the time to visit the destroyed areas,” said in the report.

The then military chief Than Shwe and his company later softened following a personal visit of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the middle of May 2008. Slowly communications between the local government and the international agencies began to improve. Visas and travel permits were made a little easier and faster for the foreign aid workers.

The officials of Human Rights Watch however claim that the local aid workers still feel the brunt of continued repression by the military authorities. The report quoted many woman survivors of Cyclone Nargis to narrate the tale of awfulness. One May Khin, a middle aged woman from Laputta township described her pain, “Nargis was the worst experience of my life. The last thing I remember is the lightning coming together with a strong wind and later a giant wave covered my daughter and me while we were running to the monastery. Then we were separated. I was washed away by the wave and became unconscious. When I came around, there were no clothes on my body and I could not walk as I had no strength. Beside me there was a dead body.” The International Organization for Migration claimed that nearly 400,000 people in Burma were still living without a proper home after a devastating cyclone. It also disclosed that the government while failed to provide adequate food, water and shelter to the survivors, shamefully continues violating the rights of the victims as well as the local relief workers.

Quoting the officials and aid workers, The Myanmar Times, a semi-government weekly newspaper published from Rangoon, reported that even after ‘three years after Cyclone Nargis thousands remain in need of shelter assistance’.

“This is an area where there are still huge needs,” said Arne Jan Flolo, first secretary of the Norwegian embassy in Bangkok. Even the UN Human Settlements Program estimated that some 375,000 people still need housing, 36 months after the worst natural disaster that stroke Burma.

If Nargis was of higher intensity, the Cyclone Giri struck the Arakan coast with comparatively lower magnitude. The category 4 cyclone hit the western coast of Burma on October 22, 2011 affecting the whole province. Over 100 people were killed and nearly one million Burmese were affected by the cyclone. According to the UN, over 70,000 people were left homeless by the disaster.

Quoting the Arakan League for Democracy, the Narinjara news, a pro-democracy portal, reported that villages like Kyuntharyar, Pyintharhtwatwa, Taungpaw, Angu, Ywathikay, Taungnyo, Kangyemaw, Dagon, Kanthar were severely affected where the people are still running out of safe drinking water.

“There is a shortage of drinking water. In the contaminated wells and ponds, saltwater sinks and the freshwater stays atop. So people collect and use the water sitting at the top portion of the well. But it is not that safe to drink. Some people still use water contaminated with saltwater. Some use the water from the well that is full with garbage,” the ALD source claimed.

Responding to this writer’s queries, a Rangoon based UN official argues that Nargis was a tragedy that every one has learnt bitter lessons from. So the large scale deaths could have avoided in the time of Giri with more awareness and early warning efforts. Putting his individual view, Aye Win, an official of United Nations Information Centre at Rangoon said, “The earthquake in Tachilek, tragic though it was, brought a greater closeness of cooperation between the humanitarian community and the authorities. The importance of disaster risk reduction was recently underscored by the visit of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on DRR, Margareta Wahlstrom, to Myanmar in early October. There is now greater awareness, and more importantly, greater political willingness to approach DRR holistically because of its long term impact.” Talking to this writer from New Delhi, Thin Thin Win, an exile Burmese lady claimed that the regime had done very little for the rehabilitation for the cyclone victims and they turned out to be inhuman for the women and children. Form the ground reality, it is understood that it would take few more years to completely rehabilitate the affected people in the cyclone affected areas of Burma, she asserted.

The hapless situation has compelled the poor Burmese, mostly young girl and women to fall in trap of traffickers, the fact admitted by the UN official. The US Campaign for Burma stated in a report that the underdeveloped country emerges as a source place for women, and children who subjected to sex trafficking in other countries. Burmese children are forced to labor as hawkers and beggars in Thailand. Many Burmese men, women, and children who migrate for work in Thailand, Malaysia, China, Bangladesh, India, and South Korea are subjected to conditions of forced labor or sex trafficking in these countries. The Rangoon UN official agrees that trafficking in Burma is an important issue to deal with. It will continue to be as long as the grass is continued to be perceived as greener on the other side. The driving force therefore is poverty. The issue of poverty is now publicly and openly acknowledged, a first step on a journey of perhaps a thousand miles, to quote Confucius, Aye Win concluded. The US Campaign for Burma also added in the report, “Military and civilian officials subject men, women, and children to forced labor, and men and boys as young as 11 years old are forcibly recruited to serve in the Burma army as well as the armed wings of ethnic minority groups through intimidation, coercion, threats, and violence. Some observers estimate that thousands of children are forced to serve in Burma’s national army as desertions of men in the army continue.”

Australian Help for Burma following Cyclone Giri

2010-11-23T05:57:00.000-08:00

Australia is providing emergency assistance to the people of Burma in response to the damage caused by Cyclone Giri, which struck the Rakhine State on 22 October.
The cyclone killed 45 people, with estimates of at least 260,000 Burmese severely affected. There has been widespread damage to houses, crops, schools, roads and bridges.
Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said that Australia will provide $3 million in assistance to help affected communities and families recover from this disaster and provide essential food, shelter, clean water and sanitation.

An immediate $200,000 was provided last month through the Australian Red Cross, and the further $2.8 million announced today will be delivered through the United Nations World Food Programme and Australian non-government organisations, CARE Australia, Save the Children Fund, Oxfam Australia, Burnet Institute and the Australian Red Cross.
"Australia's funding will help those left homeless and in need of food and emergency supplies," said Mr Rudd.

http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2010/kr_mr_101120.html

Cyclone Giri Views

2010-11-05T12:35:00.001-07:00

Teacher Fired for Attending Father's Funeral During Election Period

2010-11-05T03:28:00.000-07:00

Mray Bon: A teacher who was selected to serve as a polling booth officer was dismissed from his job by high authorities after he traveled to his native village to attend his father's funeral during the election period, said close friend of his.

He said, "His father died during Cyclone Giri. He went to his native village to attend his father's funeral without permission from the authorities in the education department. Because of this, the authority fired him from his job."

The teacher who was fired is U Ba Hlaing, who was serving as a teacher at a primary school in Phone Nyo Late Village in Buthidaung Township. His father, U Hla Maung Tha, died tragically in Htoo Chay Village in Mray Bon Township when the cyclone struck the Arakan coast on 22 October.

"He requested permission from the authority in the education department in Buthidaung Township to attend his father's funeral, but the authority refused permission because he was a polling booth officer assigned to supervise the polling booths on election day. He went to his village to attend his father's funeral against the authority's prohibition. Later he was fired from his job by the high authority," he said.

According to the source, the education department of Buthidaung sent a letter to him explaining that he was fired from his job for failing to follow the authority's instructions.

The Burmese military junta will hold the first election in two decades on 7 November, 2010, amid international criticism that the polls will not be fair or free. Many government servicemen have been appointed as polling booth officers.

http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2792

In Myanmar, Aid Groups Assess Damage from Cyclone Giri

2010-11-05T03:04:00.001-07:00

By: Larisa Epatko

Relief organizations responding to Cyclone Giri, which pounded western Myanmar on Friday, are finding homes and schools swept away and a need for emergency food and water in the saltwater soaked islands.
"The winds that hit these islands were over 200 km an hour and in many of these places there was a tidal surge of about 10 feet," said Andrew Kirkwood, Save the Children's country director in Myanmar. "Fishing boats have been sunk and paddy fields have been inundated with sea water. Houses have either been blown or washed away. Over 300 schools have been destroyed. It's left a huge wave of destruction behind."
The official death toll in the hardest hit townships of Kyaukpyu, Myebon and Pauktaw was 45, though 200,000 are in need of emergency food supplies, such as rice and beans, and probably will be for the next three to six months, he said.
By comparison, the country's last major cyclone, Nargis, which struck the Irrawaddy Delta in May 2008, killed an estimated 130,000 people.
Children take shelter in a monastery.
There were major differences between the two cyclones, including an early-warning system for Giri. Radio and television announcements -- and in some cases people walking around with megaphones -- alerted residents to the approaching storm.
In addition, while the intensity of both storms was similar, the delta where Cyclone Nargis hit is very flat, whereas Giri's path was over hilly terrain, giving people a chance to get to higher ground, Kirkwood said.
Another difference was in the response of Myanmar's government, which was criticized in 2008 for being too slow to let international aid workers into the country.
Kirkwood said the government was much better prepared this time, and his staff received good help from local authorities. They also didn't need to fly in international staff or relief shipments as they after Nargis, because the number of people affected is smaller and they can buy relief supplies locally, he said.
After Nargis, people in Myanmar have a much greater awareness of safer building techniques, Kirkwood continued. "There are very simple things that people can do to strengthen public buildings and homes to make them more cyclone-resistant, including improved bracing and foundations."
However, there's still very little one can do against a Category 4 cyclone and the accompanying tidal surge, he added. People will need to rebuild their livelihoods, including replacing fishing boats and farming tool.
Destroyed cyclone shelter. All photos courtesy of Save the Children
In one community the Save the Children team visited, a cyclone shelter built in 1962 had its roof ripped off by Giri. "We interviewed one man, 84 years old, who said this is the fifth major cyclone that he can remember but this is much stronger than anything that he has seen in his lifetime," Kirkwood said.
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The Tragedies Giri give

2010-11-05T01:43:00.000-07:00

Posted by လြမ္းေမာရင္ခြင္ Friday, 5 November 2010

Urgent Appeal for Cyclone Victims in Arakan

2010-11-05T00:40:00.000-07:00

Sittwe: Over 100 people were killed and thousands left homeless when Cyclone Giri struck Arakan State in Burma on Friday evening, and the Arakanese political party Rakhine National Development Party, or RNDP, has appealed to the international community for assistance.

The RNDP issued a statement relating to Cyclone Giri with emergency declaration No. 1/2010, wherein the party appealed to the international community to provide humanitarian aid to cyclone victims.

Cyclone Giri hit two districts - Sittwe and Kyauk Pru - in Arakan State on Friday, 22 October, triggering tidal surges and flooding that left nearly 100,000 people homeless. The victims are now taking refuge in temporary shelters.

The death toll in the two districts rose to at least 100 following recovery of bodies throughout the week up to Thursday, but Burmese authorities announced that only 27 people were killed in the cyclone.

The worst affected area was Mray Bon, Kyauk Pru, Min Bya, Pauktaw, and Man Aung, where the UN reported 70,000 people have been left homeless and 130,000 have been severely affected by the disaster.

The RNDP stated that hundreds of rural houses have been destroyed or damaged, families have lost their essential household items, and crops have been destroyed. The displaced population has taken shelter in temporary huts without proper roofs or water wells.

Dr. Aye Maung, President of the RNDP, said, "We request on behalf of the Arakanese community to the UN and international community to provide aid to the victims of the deadly cyclone immediately. The victims are now facing many challenges struggling for their survival. The victims need emergency aid from the international community."

Cyclone Giri is the worst cyclonic storm to hit Burma since Cyclone Nargis claimed more than 100,000 lives in the Irrawaddy Delta in May, 2008, but there is yet to be much relief aid for the victims.

Dr. Aye Maung also said that storms often hit the coastal areas of Arakan every year, especially in the rainy season. Because of this, he has also requested that the concerned government authorities, the UN, and international NGOs consider a long-term plan to mitigate the impact such storms have on residents.

Speaking to Narinjara over the phone, Dr. Aye Maung said that cyclone centers are needed in the lower coastal areas of Arakan State for local residents to seek shelter in whenever cyclones hit the region.

Arakan has consistently faced severe storms every year, but there are no cyclone shelters anywhere in the state.

The RNDP is a political party based in Arakan State that is running 47 candidates in the upcoming election scheduled to be held on 7 November, 2010.

http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2784

Cyclone Victim Hangs Himself

2010-11-05T00:36:00.000-07:00

Mray Bon: A cyclone victim hanged himself last week in the town of Mray Bon, the town hardest hit by the cyclone in Arakan, during a fit of depression, said townspeople.
The victim was identified as U Aung Kyaw Sein from Alay Pai Ward in central Mray Bon Town.

An elder from Mray Bon said, "He committed suicide by hanging himself in the compound of his house during a fit of depression. He lost much property, including his home, when the cyclone struck the town. He seemed to commit suicide after losing so much."

He was reportedly faced with many challenges to his and his family's survival after the cyclone, so he chose the path to death, another elder said.

Another middle-aged elder from Sin Daung Village in Mray Bon Township also committed suicide by hanging himself after losing much of his property in the cyclone.

A monk from Mray Bon told Narinjara over the phone that some people in Mray Bon Township have been committing suicide by hanging, while others are dying from cholera and diarrhea contracted in the aftermath of the storm.

http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2791

Updated List of Damages and Deceased Caused by Cyclone Giri in Pauktaw Township

2010-11-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

Pauk Taw: Narinjara received the following list of the devastation and 11 deaths caused by Cyclone Giri from a local social relief group:

(Ngari Pike Chai Village)

Six people were killed and 230 out of 235 houses were completely destroyed by the cyclone in Ngari Pike village on Aungarar Chai Island in Pauktaw Township. The five remaining houses were partially damaged. 86 motorized fishing boats and 42 row boats that were anchored on-shore were washed away in the tidal surge along with 100 fishing nets. Two large ponds, the main sources of drinking and washing water were also destroyed by the flood of sea water.

(Prun Gree Village)

In Prun Gree Village on Aungarar Char Island, 93 out of 96 houses were destroyed, while 28 motor boats, 7 row boats, and 37 fishing nets were washed away to sea. 42 cows and 3 buffalo were killed, but there were no human casualties in the village.

(Ngari Chai Village)

Four people were killed and 130 out of 136 houses were damaged by the cyclone in Ngari Chai Village. 86 motorized fishing boats, 42 row boats, and 162 large-stretch fishing nets were washed away to sea. One source of drinking and washing water was also destroyed by the surge of sea water.

(Kha Maung Kway and Kaing Prun Villages)

All 155 houses were destroyed. 24 motorized fishing boats, 21 row boats, and 47 fishing nets were washed away to sea. The three main water sources were also destroyed by the flood of sea water in Kha Maung Kway and Kaing Prun Villages. No human casualties were reported, but 37 cows and 5 buffalo were killed.

(Thapru Chai Village)

All 65 houses were completely destroyed. 11 motorized fishing boats, 53 row boats, and 32 fishing nets were washed away to sea. One drinking and washing water source was also destroyed by the tidal surge in Thapru Chai Village.

(Ngamae Prun Village)

All 100 houses were completely destroyed. 11 motorized fishing boats, 18 row boats, and 37 fishing nets were washed away to sea. Two main drinking and washing water sources were destroyed by the tidal surge, and 6 cows were killed in Ngamae Prun Village.

(Manyun Kaing and Prunphru Chai Village)

All 110 houses were destroyed. 10 motorized fishing boats, 10 row boats, and 14 fishing nets were washed away to sea. One source of drinking and washing water was destroyed by the tidal surge in Manyun Kaing and Prun Phru Chai Villages.

(Kaum Chai Village)

All 61 houses were completely destroyed. 6 motorized fishing boats, 6 row boats, and 8 throw-fishing nets were washed away to sea. One source of drinking water was also destroyed by the sea water in Kaum Chai Village.

(Byaing Thaik Village Group)

One person was killed in Kyauk Maung Village under Byain Thaik Village Group.

Other damages left in the aftermath of Cyclone Giri are still being catalogued by the local social relief groups. Cyclone victims in Pauktaw Township are badly in need of emergency relief and medical care, as there is no organization, either government or non-governmental, that is providing substantial relief aid or medicine.

According to the latest reports received by Narinjara from aid groups working on the ground, the death toll has risen to 157 - with 138 from Mray Bon Township, 5 from Minbya Township according to official data, 11 from Pauktaw Township, and 3 from Kyaukpru Township.

http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2786

Devastated Pictures by Giri from RNDP

2010-11-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

List of Damages and Deceased Caused by Cyclone Giri in Pauktaw Township

2010-11-02T05:56:00.001-07:00

Pauk Taw: Narinjara received the following list of the devastation and 11 deaths caused by Cyclone Giri from a local social relief group:

(Ngari Pike Chai Village)

Photos from Prinwan Village, Myaebone Township

2010-11-02T00:56:00.000-07:00

Photos from Kyaukphru after Cyclone Giri

2010-11-01T23:51:00.000-07:00

MYANMAR: Cyclone Giri tests government-aid agency relations

2010-11-01T23:32:00.003-07:00

Photo: Stacey Winston/ECHO

More than 100,000 lost their lives when Nargis struck in 2008

BANGKOK, 25 October 2010 (IRIN) - Cooperation has been good between relief agencies and national authorities after Cyclone Giri struck western Myanmar on 22 October, but it is still too early to know what access international staff will have to the hardest-hit areas.

“Neutral humanitarian assistance is more accepted now than in [Cyclone] Nargis times, so we will see in the coming days,” said Bernd Schell, head of delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Myanmar.

Cyclone Nargis, which hit in May 2008, became the largest natural disaster the country had experienced.

International relief agencies in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, have begun sending national staff members to the coastal western state of Rakhine to join colleagues already in the field measuring damage inflicted by the category-4 storm (category 5 is the worst).

“We have sent out two teams this morning [from Yangon] and have one more going out this afternoon,” said Schell. IFRC’s international staff is on “stand-by” in the capital, ready to join national staff carrying out assessments in the field and awaiting permission to deploy, he added. “We have requested access and are ready go.”

Thus far, international NGOs have only sent national staff to cyclone-hit areas to join national NGOs already working in affected villages.

Schell said local capacity to respond to disasters had improved in recent years, alleviating some pressure on international staff to go into the field.

“A lot of support had been given to the areas that were hit this time, which helped to minimize damage,” he said. Teams of 30-50 Red Cross national volunteers have already begun damage assessments in eight townships in Rakhine State. Some of the hardest-hit communities have been trained in disaster preparedness.

There has been “major learning” since Nargis, UN Resident Coordinator Bishow Parajuli said. “This is evidenced by the advance deployments, evacuations [from high-risk areas]. Details are still emerging.”

Early estimates show two-digit deaths and injuries and up to 10,000 homes damaged, he added.

“International and national UN staff are on stand-by for deployment, depending on the level of devastation and expertise needed,” said Parajuli.

A preliminary Red Cross assessment in one of the townships hit, Kyaupyu, on 24 October, showed at least 4,500 affected people. Information from ongoing village visits has shown still-unquantified housing and agricultural damage, added IFRC’s Schell.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is compiling information from relief agencies for an updated report on the cyclone’s aftermath for publication on 26 October.

pt/mw
Theme (s): Natural Disasters,
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

MYANMAR: Water worries surface after Cyclone Giri

2010-11-01T23:30:00.001-07:00

BANGKOK, 1 November 2010 (IRIN) - Aid workers are worried about possible water contamination after Cyclone Giri swamped the western coast of Myanmar on 22 October, affecting an estimated 200,000 people.

"Ponds may be contaminated by salinated water - but this needs to be confirmed," Thierry Delbreuve, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, who visited the affected area, told IRIN on 1 November from Yangon.

Throughout much of rural Myanmar, communal ponds are a main source of fresh water, but after a heavy weather system such as Giri there is a chance flooding and debris could render the water undrinkable.

However, according to Terence Kadoe, a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) officer for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Myanmar, most of the ponds along Giri's trail are in high land areas compared with the low-lying ponds contaminated by Cyclone Nargis which devastated Myanmar's Ayerwady Delta in 2008, leaving more than 140,000 dead and affecting two million.

According to the most recent OCHA situation report, water and sanitation needs arising from the destruction of water sources are among the most urgent, along with food and shelter.

Cyclone Giri Damage as of 29 October
	45 people dead
	70,975 homeless, 15,000 houses were destroyed
	7,081 hectares of agricultural land destroyed
	279 primary schools, 24 middle schools and 15 high schools damaged or destroyed
Source: OCHA

National staff mobilized in the first response efforts after the cyclone hit used methods honed in the days and months after Cyclone Nargis, aid workers said.

"Good lessons have been learned from Cyclone Nargis ... as evidenced by the advance deployments, evacuations from high-risk areas and distribution of relief to affected villages," Bishow Parajuli, UN resident coordinator in Myanmar, said after Giri.

But aid officials are projecting that a need for expertise in water and sanitation could require international assistance.

"We have full confidence in the ability of our national staff," Delbreuve said. "But we are advocating for international staff to complement the experience of the national staff."

Delbreuve added that the government had been notified of donors' desires to send not only monetary, but also technical help.

nb/mw

Theme (s): Natural Disasters, Water & Sanitation,
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

http://www.irinnews.org

Latest photos from Cyclone Giri Area

2010-11-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

The Lists of Donation for the Victims in Arakan, Westrn Myanmar

2010-11-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

1 -11-2010 Donite English

Photos From Kyaukphru After Cyclone Giri

2010-10-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

Relief Efforts Slow to Reach Arakan's Devastated Coast

2010-10-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

“The whole town looks like a garbage dump—many streets are still blocked by debris,” said Tun Naing, a local relief volunteer helping the victims of Cyclone Giri in Myebon township, one of the hardest-hit townships on the west coast of Burma.
“People still desperately need tarpaulins and rice,” he said, adding that his organization has only been able to give five small tins of rice to each person.

Slide Show (View)

Seven days have passed since category four of Cyclone Giri ravaged the worst hit areas in the islands off Arakan State with winds of up to 120 miles [190 kilometers] per hour.The confirmed death toll from the cyclone stands at 45, and about 15,000 houses have been destroyed rendering more than 70,000 people homeless, according to the latest UN report citing government sources.
Local relief groups said the victims were not getting enough aid since the government has downplayed the death toll and the scale of the destruction, however.
State-controlled media has put the death toll at 27, but local relief groups said the real figure was already more than 100 people on Thursday.
They said thousands of victims are still living in monasteries and emergency shelters in Kyaukpyu, Pauktaw, Minbya and Myebon, the worst hit townships on the islands off the Arakan coast.
Access to the islands has been very difficult, and concern is mounting that help may not reach the victims, local sources said, adding that the government has banned local journalists from taking photographs and that coverage of the disaster by the media has been minimal.
“People from villages that were completely destroyed are coming to town for food handouts,” said a Buddhist monk in Aung Mingalar monastery in Myebon Township. “Drinking water is scarce and we are using bamboo ducts to try and get water from nearby hillsides.”
Local groups are taking a leading role in the relief efforts as they had to during the Cyclone Nargis, which killed over 130,000 people in the Irrawaddy Delta in May, 2008.
“We have sent 20,000 dollars worth of rice to the victims,” said an official of an Arakan Welfare Group in Rangoon. “We have already sent 200 bags of rice and are going to send 500 more.”
Though storms and cyclones are common occurrences for Arakan's coastal residents who make their living by fishing and farming, Cyclone Giri's powerful winds brought surges of water 12 feet deep.
Having lost their fishing nets and their crops in the cyclone, some residents are considering abandoning the islands for good, Tun Naing said.
Although the government has reportedly not yet allowed NGOs to send international staff to affected areas, there has been no major complaint about government interference in the relief efforts.
“We are working with the Myanmar Red Cross which works in close collaboration with the government, but so far we haven't had any problems,” said Chang Hun Choe, the program coordinator of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society in Rangoon.
The cyclone came just two weeks before the country's first elections in 20 years and is the worst natural disaster to hit Burma since Cyclone Nargis.
A few days after Cyclone Giri, the Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP), a major opposition party contesting the election in Arakan State, sent a letter to the Election Commission calling for a postponement of the Nov. 7 election in three townships devastated by the cyclone, but have yet to receive a response.
“The conditions are terrible—we cannot expect them to participate in an election before we have taken care of their humanitarian needs,” said Aye Maung, the RNDP chairman, adding that the government should be transparent about the impact of the cyclone.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=19893

The Views of Mraybone(Myaebone) After Cyclone Giri

2010-10-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.irrawaddyblog.com/2010/10/blog-post_4020.html

List of Deceased from Cyclone Giri in Mray Bon Township

2010-10-30T00:14:00.000-07:00

Mray Bon: More than 100 people, including women and children, were killed, and thousands have been left homeless after Cyclone Giri lashed Sittwe and Kyaukpru Districts in western Burma's Arakan State on October 22, 2010.

Mray Bon was the hardest hit township in Arakan, and an estimated 95% of the township has been damaged by the cyclone.

Narinjara has received a summarized list of 84 of those killed along with the village names from the Mray Bon Township Social Organization, which has been carrying out relief work in the aftermath of the cyclone in the township. The group informed Narinjara that they are still in search of missing people in the township.

The list describing the number of victims in each village and ward in Mraybon Township that was sent to Narinjara is below.

Sl no--	Name of Village---------------------------------------------	Number of Killed
1------	Ngashwe----------------------------------------------------	1
2-----	Amyakhtut-------------------------------------------------	5
3-----	Kantha Chaungwa Ward (Mray Bon Town)------------	1
4-----	Thay Chaung----------------------------------------------	2
5-----	Myaing Thayar--------------------------------------------	6
6------	Prun Wann------------------------------------------------	27
7-----	Taung Chaung--------------------------------------------	6
8------	Taung Zai-------------------------------------------------	3
9------	Krun Hunn Taung----------------------------------------	1
10----	Kyee Gaung Taung---------------------------------------	11
11----	Re Rhun---------------------------------------------------	1
12----	Wan Khauk Maw-----------------------------------------	1
13----	Rwa Thite Ward (Mray Bon Town)--------------------	1
14----	Krant Hunn Khun---------------------------------------	1
15----	Mun Chaung--------------------------------------------	3
16----	Re Ni Gree-----------------------------------------------	2
17-----	Ah Ngu--------------------------------------------------	1
18-----	Htoo Chay----------------------------------------------	1
19----	Daibon-------------------------------------------------	5
20----	Nat Hla-------------------------------------------------	2
21---	Kan Yin Gri--------------------------------------------	2
22----	(Name Unverifiable)---------------------------------	1
--------	Total------------------------------------------------------	83

The Burmese military junta announced in their press release that only 27 people were killed in the cyclone, but this local report shows that 83 bodies have been recovered in one township alone, with more expected to be found.

There are 51 village groups and 150 villages in Mray Bon Township in Arakan State.

http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2783

Urgent Appeal for Cyclone Victims in Arakan

2010-10-30T00:10:00.001-07:00

Myanmar state media mum on Cyclone Giri destruction

2010-10-28T09:34:00.002-07:00

Yangon - Myanmar's state-run media was mum Sunday on the destruction wrought by Cyclone Giri on the western Rakhine State, where relief agencies have reported widespread destruction.

Sunday newspapers reported that the cyclone had been downgraded to a low pressure area over the Sagaing Region by Saturday, but failed to reveal the extent of destruction the storm had done Friday to the coast of Rakhine State.
Meanwhile, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reported that they have deployed emergency teams with the Myanmar Red Cross Society to respond to the impact of Giri which hit western Myanmar's Rakhine State "causing significant damage and destruction to homes, public buildings and infrastructure."
"There is still little clear information on the numbers of casualties and damage, but local branches of the Myanmar Red Cross Society say the most urgent needs are for food, water and shelter," the IFRC said in a statement.
Cyclone Giri, packing 160 km/h winds, reportedly caused tidal waves of seven to eight metres above the normal water level, impacting islands and Kyaukpyu, a city of 185,000 on the Rakhine coastline, where 75 per cent of houses have been partly damaged, according to the IFRC.
The other affected townships include Ann, Minbya, Munaung, Myebon, Pauktaw and Sittwe in Rakhine State, the relief agency said.
"At least 1.4 million people are located within the cyclone's path, with 24,000 people living less than five metres above sea level," it warned.
The cyclone, and the government's apparent lack of response, recalled to mind Cyclone Nargis which smashed in to Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta on May 2-3, 2008, unleashing a killer tsunami that devastated crops, shipping boats and housing while claiming at least 130,000 lives.
At the time, state media initially downplayed the impact of Nargis, which happened to coincide with a planned referendum by the ruling junta to win the approval for their new, military-drafted constitution.
State media on Sunday focused its coverage on the forthcoming general election, the first in 20 years.< p>Image courtesy of: NASA

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/350131,mum-cyclone-giri-destruction.html

Myanmar: Cyclone Giri Information bulletin n° 1, 24 October 2010

2010-10-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

This bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the current situation and details available at this time. The Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) is currently engaged in assessing the casualties and damages caused by the cyclone. Assessment results will indicate if external donor support is required. Therefore, funding or other assistance from donors is not being sought at this time.
Category 4 Cyclone Giri made landfall in western Myanmar's Rakhine State around 8:00 p.m. (local time) on 22 October, triggering storms, heavy rains and huge tidal surges in coastal areas. Tidal surges hit the islands and coastal areas seven to eight metres above normal water level. The speed of winds was measured as 177 kph (110 mph) upon making landfall.
The most affected townships in Rakhine State are reported to be those in coastal areas, especially Kyaukpyu, Minbya, Munaung, Myebon and Pauktaw. The cyclone damaged infrastructure, buildings and houses in its path towards Magway, Mandalay and Sagaing Divisions. Roads, bridges, utility and telecommunication facilities and houses have been partly or completely destroyed while power supply and phone lines have been cut off, Overall, the number of casualties does not appear high as the authorities and MRCS have taken several cyclone preparedness measures in time.
The Myanmar government and local authorities made public announcements and prepared for timely response, search and rescue before the cyclone hit the country. Red Cross volunteers helped relay early warning messages among communities at risk, setting up relief camps and assisting evacuation efforts. Authorities airlifted food, water and relief supplies to affected areas and plan to airlift more in the coming days. Fire brigade rescue services are also working in the affected areas.
Authorities and various humanitarian agencies are sending assessment teams to the affected areas to establish accurate numbers of those affected and extent of damage caused. The National Disaster Preparedness Coordination Committee (NDPCC) and several ministries are organizing a fact-finding mission in which a small team of humanitarian partners will participate.
MRCS headquarters and state/division branches issued an early warning to respective township branches, which alerted the people concerned and put Red Cross volunteers on standby. In close cooperation with local authorities, township branches were actively engaged in cyclone preparedness.
On 23 October, MRCS held an emergency management meeting and formed an emergency task force comprising representatives of relevant MRCS departments, IFRC and French Red Cross, which will be responsible for the emergency relief operation including the assessment. The National Society has also activated a 24-hour duty system mainly with staff of the disaster management division and put 30 Red Cross volunteers of the Yangon division branch on standby for immediate deployment in operational areas if needed.
Two MRCS assessment teams will be sent to the cyclone-affected areas in Kyaukpyu, Ann, Myebon, Munaung, Sittwe, Pauktaw and Minbya townships on 24 or 25 October, depending on available flights or ferry services. MRCS has disaster preparedness stocks for 1,600 households pre-positioned at its regional warehouses in Sittwe, Kyaukpyu and Thandwe in Rakhine State, and keeps more stocks in 17 regional warehouses in other states/divisions.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/MCOI-8AJFX6?OpenDocument

Myanmar state media mum on Cyclone Giri destruction

2010-10-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yangon - Myanmar's state-run media was mum Sunday on the destruction wrought by Cyclone Giri on the western Rakhine State, where relief agencies have reported widespread destruction.
Sunday newspapers reported that the cyclone had been downgraded to a low pressure area over the Sagaing Region by Saturday, but failed to reveal the extent of destruction the storm had done Friday to the coast of Rakhine State.
Meanwhile, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reported that they have deployed emergency teams with the Myanmar Red Cross Society to respond to the impact of Giri which hit western Myanmar's Rakhine State 'causing significant damage and destruction to homes, public buildings and infrastructure.'
'There is still little clear information on the numbers of casualties and damage, but local branches of the Myanmar Red Cross Society say the most urgent needs are for food, water and shelter,' the IFRC said in a statement.
Cyclone Giri, packing 160 km/h winds, reportedly caused tidal waves of seven to eight metres above the normal water level, impacting islands and Kyaukpyu, a city of 185,000 on the Rakhine coastline, where 75 per cent of houses have been partly damaged, according to the IFRC.
The other affected townships include Ann, Minbya, Munaung, Myebon, Pauktaw and Sittwe in Rakhine State, the relief agency said.
'At least 1.4 million people are located within the cyclone's path, with 24,000 people living less than five metres above sea level,' it warned.
The cyclone, and the government's apparent lack of response, recalled to mind Cyclone Nargis which smashed in to Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta on May 2-3, 2008, unleashing a killer tsunami that devastated crops, shipping boats and housing while claiming at least 130,000 lives.
At the time, state media initially downplayed the impact of Nargis, which happened to coincide with a planned referendum by the ruling junta to win the approval for their new, military-drafted constitution.
State media on Sunday focused its coverage on the forthcoming general election, the first in 20 years.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1593679.php/Myanmar-state-media-mum-on-Cyclone-Giri-destruction

Cyclone Giri leaves 4,000 Burmese homeless

2010-10-28T09:32:00.002-07:00

Thousands of people have been left homeless by a cyclone that struck western Burma on Friday.

Cyclone Giri cut many communication links to Rakhine state, and only now is the full extent of the damage emerging.

Residents say about four-thousand people have lost their homes, and that Buddhist monks and nuns have set up relief shelters.

"Damage to property is huge. Nearly all the houses made of bamboo and thatch were completely destroyed," businessman Ko Kyaw Khin said.

"Monks and private well-wishers are providing these people whatever food they can with their limited resources," he added.

A government official who declined to be identified told Reuters at least one person was killed, and that relief supplies are being sent in by plane and boat.

"We are still surveying the damage and casualties while carrying out relief work," he said.

The official says there are fears for residents on the islands of Kyunthaya and Ngapathon off the Burmese coast.

"We've heard a number of villagers there were completely covered with water," he said, adding that boats are being sent out to investigate.

http://australianetworknews.com/stories/201010/3046796.htm?desktop

MYANMAR: Cyclone Giri tests government-aid agency relations

2010-10-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

Source: IRIN

Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.

BANGKOK, 25 October 2010 (IRIN) - Cooperation has been good between relief agencies and national authorities after Cyclone Giri struck western Myanmar on 22 October, but it is still too early to know what access international staff will have to the hardest-hit areas.
"Neutral humanitarian assistance is more accepted now than in [Cyclone] Nargis times, so we will see in the coming days," said Bernd Schell, head of delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Myanmar.
Cyclone Nargis, which hit in May 2008, [ http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=78042 ] became the largest natural disaster the country had experienced.
International relief agencies in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, have begun sending national staff members to the coastal western state of Rakhine to join colleagues already in the field measuring damage inflicted by the category-4 storm (category 5 is the worst) [ http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=79932 ].
"We have sent out two teams this morning [from Yangon] and have one more going out this afternoon," said Schell. IFRC's international staff is on "stand-by" in the capital, ready to join national staff carrying out assessments in the field and awaiting permission to deploy, he added. "We have requested access and are ready go."
Thus far, international NGOs have only sent national staff to cyclone-hit areas to join national NGOs already working in affected villages.
Schell said local capacity to respond to disasters had improved in recent years, alleviating some pressure on international staff to go into the field.
"A lot of support had been given to the areas that were hit this time, which helped to minimize damage," he said. Teams of 30-50 Red Cross national volunteers have already begun damage assessments in eight townships in Rakhine State. Some of the hardest-hit communities have been trained in disaster preparedness [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=90630 ].
There has been "major learning" since Nargis, UN Resident Coordinator Bishow Parajuli said. "This is evidenced by the advance deployments, evacuations [from high-risk areas]. Details are still emerging."
Early estimates show two-digit deaths and injuries and up to 10,000 homes damaged, he added.
"International and national UN staff are on stand-by for deployment, depending on the level of devastation and expertise needed," said Parajuli.
A preliminary Red Cross assessment in one of the townships hit, Kyaupyu, on 24 October, showed at least 4,500 affected people. Information from ongoing village visits has shown still-unquantified housing and agricultural damage, added IFRC's Schell.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is compiling information from relief agencies for an updated report on the cyclone's aftermath for publication on 26 October.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/4dd58b4387bfb334e7fb44af7f4ac908.htm

Cyclone Giri hits western Burma

2010-10-28T09:31:00.001-07:00

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — A cyclone spinning in the Bay of Bengal early Saturday was headed northeast after making landfall in western Burma, also known as Myanmar, and people were advised to move to strong buildings and high ground.

The Friday evening news broadcast on state television said Cyclone Giri was gaining strength and had reached land at Kyaukphyu in western Rakhine State.

Wind speeds from the storm had reached 100 mph, it said, advising people to stay indoors or move to high ground. It also warned of the possibility of landslides.

Though not as strong, the storm raises memories of Cyclone Nargis, which struck Burma in May 2008 and killed 130,000 people and destroyed 800,000 buildings. The ruling military junta was widely criticized for its preparations and response to that disaster.

Meteorological and disaster officials in the military-run nation had said Cyclone Giri could bring a storm surge as high as 12 feet when it hits the coast of Rakhine State. There was no confirmation of the effect Friday night.

A special cyclone bulletin has been published in state-run newspapers and state television and radio were broadcasting constant warnings. The messages also advised people to stay away from tall trees and electric poles and ignore rumors.

In Sittway, the Rakhine State capital, residents said authorities were using loudspeakers to warn about Giri. An official at the city's airport said it had been shut. Phone lines were down, though mobile phones were still working.

People living near the coast were moving their belongings to higher ground and making other preparations for the storm.

"To avert a cyclone disaster, we are giving an offering of three white umbrellas and three candles" at a revered temple, said shopkeeper Nu Nu Khaing.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2010-10-22-cyclone-myanmar_N.htm

Cyclone Giri crosses Rakhine coastline

2010-10-28T09:30:00.001-07:00

By Aye Sapay Phyu
October 25 - 31, 2010

CYCLONE Giri crossed the Rakhine State coastline about 15 miles (24 kilometres) north of the island of Kyaukpyu at about 8pm on October 22, a Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) announcement said.
According to the DMH announcement, when Cyclone Giri made landfall it brought with it winds gusting between 160 and 193 kilometres (100 to 120 miles) an hour.
Residents of Kyaukpyu said Giri was the strongest storm they had ever experienced.
“The wind started blowing in the morning but became much stronger in the afternoon. It also rained non-stop from 3pm to 9pm.
“Although we’ve experienced many storms in the past, I have never witnessed winds that strong,” said one Kyaukpyu resident.
She said some houses in the township were flattened by the wind, and her house and compound were drenched and covered by leaves and branches thrown about by the storm.
She added that many roads had also been blocked and residents were busy clearing away the mess on the morning of October 23. She also said authorities were out collecting data about the storm on October 23.
Another Kyaukpyu resident said thousands of villagers in low-lying areas were evacuated. The villages of Sar Pyin Kwin, Kanyin Taw, Pyin Pyu Maw and Zaditaung in southeastern Kyaukpyu township suffered flooding from high water in Nga La Kway Creek, which flows into Kyaukpyu River.
“The dam on Nga La Kway Creek has been broken since early October, which made the flooding worse. In the morning [of October 23] there was still waist-high water in those villages, and some people said that at one point it had risen to the height of a man,” he said.
He said the storm caused a tidal surge, but it was less than the 3.7 metres (12 feet) that had been predicted before the storm hit.
The resident also said relief camps for flood victims had been opened in two monasteries and Basic Education High School (1) in Kyaukpyu. The victims were provided food by township residents, and authorities also distributed relief supplies such as blankets.
He said Cylone Giri knocked down many lampposts, trees and fences, and also tore away the roofs of many houses, but there was no shortage of fresh water because the wells were full from heavy rain.
An official from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement said that they had not received any reports of casualties as of October 23 and the department was waiting for better weather to relief kits to cyclone affected areas in Rakhine State.
DMH announced on the morning of October 23 that the cyclone moved in a northeasterly direction after it crossed the coast and was heading toward Magwe Region with forecasted maximum wind speeds of 50 miles an hour (80kph) and was expected to abate with the next 12 hours.
The department said that Magway, Mandalay and Sagaing regions would all experience heavy rains as a result of the storm.

http://www.mmtimes.com/2010/news/546/news54602.html

Cyclone Giri striking Myanmar turning moderate inland

2010-10-28T09:29:00.001-07:00

Severe cyclone Giri, which is centering in Myanmar's Mandalay and Nyaung Oo in the central part at brown level, is abating into a moderate storm inland within next 12 hours at a wind speed reducing to 80 km per hour, according to a weather observations recorded on Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m. local time by the State Meteorology and Hydrology Department (MHD).

The cyclone Giri over the Bay of Bengal landed on Friday noon at Myanmar's western Rakhine coast, sweeping severely Kyaukphyu and Gyuntharya at a speed of 120 km to 128 km per hour, triggering a tidal wave of as high as 3.6 meters.

Nearby areas of Sittway, Myebon, Pauktaw, Ann, Yanbyae, Manaung, Ponnagyun and Min Bya townships were affected.

The casualties and damage brought to the Rakhine state by the cyclone strike are still officially unknown although the state radio and TV has been constantly airing the weather report since Friday before and after the Giri landing, warning of landslide threat and advising local people to be on high alert.

The cyclone storm is now forecast to be moving northeastwards, bringing heavy rain to Chin state, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing regions, the report added.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7175082.html

Cyclone Giri lashes western Myanmar

2010-10-28T09:28:00.003-07:00

YANGON, Myanmar -- A cyclone that struck Myanmar's western coast late last week damaged hundreds of homes and displaced thousands of residents but the government has given no official estimate of damages or casualties, residents and aid agencies said Monday.

Cyclone Giri arrived from the Bay of Bengal on Friday evening with winds of up to 110 mph (177 kph), lashing several areas of western Rakhine state including Myebon, Pauktaw, Myanaung, Ponnagyu and Kyaukphyu. The coastal areas are populated by poor families living mostly in bamboo huts.
Three temporary camps have been set up in Kyaukphyu for more than 5,000 people by the Myanmar Red Cross and the Social Welfare Ministry, said Andrew Kirkwood, the resident representative of aid group Save the Children.

The government has not yet reported the damage or casualties from the category 4 cyclone. State-run newspapers did not mention the cyclone aftermath though they reported the visit of the country's social welfare minister to Kyaukphyu.
Kirkwood cited reports that “70 percent of the buildings in Kayukphyu had their roofs blown off and Kyaukphyu hospital was badly damaged.”
A resident from Kyaukphyu, Daw Chit Chit, who was contacted by phone, said that many homes had their roofs blown off and that many areas remained flooded. She said communications were cut over the weekend had been restored.
On Kyunthaya island, located between Myebone and Kyaukphyu, there were seven houses left standing from an original community of 622 houses, Kirkwood said. Myebone, which is north of Kyaukphyu, was also badly damaged and the local aid groups were on their way, he said.
Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar in May 2008 and killed 130,000 people and destroyed 800,000 buildings, mostly on the southern tip of Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta. The ruling military junta was widely criticized for what were called inadequate preparations and initial response to that disaster.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/other/2010/10/26/277457/Cyclone-Giri.htm

Effects of Cyclone Giri In Burma Worse Than Expected

2010-10-28T09:28:00.001-07:00

Tropical cyclone Giri caused more damage than predicted when it hit western Burma as a category 5 storm last Friday, NGO’s in the country report.

Giri hit an isolated part of the country 250 miles northwest of the capital. With wind speeds up to 155 miles per hour, the storm was more powerful than Cyclone Nargis, which swept the country with 130 mph winds, claiming around 140,000 lives in 2008.

Save the Children, which has been working in the closed country since 1995, was able to get response teams into the devastated region quickly, and almost a week later, the organization reported that the cyclone has affected about ten times more people than initially estimated.

“Over the weekend it looked like tens of thousands of people may be affected. We now estimate that 400,000 people have been affected,” the country director for Save the Children in Burma, Andrew Kirkwood, said in a press release.

High winds and tidal surges have destroyed many homes in coastal areas and lack of clean water in affected regions is increasing the risk of disease transmission, the organization reported.

The United Nations Monday said that about 70,000 people were left homeless and on Tuesday that 170,000 had been affected by Giri.

State television reported that the storm killed 27 and 15 are still missing, according to CNN.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/44951/

Cyclone Giri weakens

2010-10-28T09:27:00.001-07:00

YANGON - A CYCLONE that pounded western Myanmar, destroying buildings and cutting off contact with some areas, weakened on Saturday as it travelled through the country, with no casualties yet reported.
Cyclone Giri raged onto the coast of Rakhine state with winds of up to 193 kilometres (119 miles) per hour on Friday, but was said to have since slowed to around 80 kph, state media said.
An official, who did not want to be named, said communication with the town of Kyaukphyu, in one of the worst-hit parts of Rakhine, was 'very difficult'.
'Many trees were toppled and some buildings were also destroyed. We have not received any casualty reports yet,' he said.
The storm was heading northeast through the central part of the country and is forecast to 'abate into a moderate storm", the New Light of Myanmar newspaper said, quoting the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.
On Friday the Red Cross reported that authorities in Rakhine state had prepared disaster relief camps in preparation for the storm as the Meteorology office predicted sea levels could swell by as much as 3.7 metres (12 feet). -- AFP

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_594394.html

Cyclone's 100mph winds hit Myanmar hard

2010-10-28T09:26:00.001-07:00

Tearfund partners in Myanmar (Burma) are looking to deploy emergency aid after a cyclone with 100mph winds crashed into the west of the country and left thousands homeless.
Rakhine State bore the brunt of Cyclone Giri, a category four high risk storm, which triggered a seven metre tidal surge and heavy rains on Friday.
Roads, bridges, power and telephone lines have been damaged, making communication with the affected areas difficult and slow.
Tearfund partners are urgently trying to find out about the scale of damage and humanitarian needs but are making plans to distribute food and hygiene kits to prevent the spread of disease.
David Bainbridge, Tearfund's International Diretor, said, 'It’s difficult for us to gather exact information because of the logistical challenges in communicating with our colleagues and organisations in the country, but we know from experience that food and hygiene kits will be needed urgently and we’re making sure that we get them out to the people who need them.’
While there's been no official statement about the cyclone’s impact, other reports indicate dozens have died and thousands of people are seeking refuge.
Roofs blown off
The most affected townships in Rakhine State are reported to be those in coastal areas, especially Kyaukpyu, Minbya, Munaung, Myebon and Pauktaw.
Kyaukpyu has been particularly affected, with the majority of buildings there having their roofs blown off and the town’s hospital has been left badly damaged. Early warning of the storm enabled many residents to leave the town, but three emergency camps set up by the government are providing shelter for 5,000 people.
In a town called Kyauk Pru, 10,000 people are living in schools and monasteries, supported by food donations from local people and charities.
Eight villages in Myebon have been badly damaged and generally there’s said to have been considerable destruction to bamboo and thatch-built property.
Cyclone experience
According to one Tearfund partner, the population in the affected area is 110,000 people, with around 25,000 living in areas likely to have been in the path of the tidal surge.
Cyclone Giri has struck Myanmar as it gears up for a general election on 7 November – its first in 20 years.
Myanmar is no stranger to cyclones. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis killed 140,000 people and affected millions of others when it slammed into the Ayeyarwaddy delta in the south of the country.
Tearfund partners responded with emergency aid in the immediate aftermath and since Nargis have helped 120,000 people get back on their feet, through home rebuilding and livelihood assistance.
Helping communities prepare for future cyclones, through adopting early warning systems, has also been a part of Tearfund’s response to Nargis.

http://www.tearfund.org/News/World+news/Myanmar+hit+by+Cyclone+Giri.htm

Cyclone Giri explodes, socks Burma shore Will Giri be a repeat of catastrophic Nargis?

2010-10-28T09:25:00.001-07:00

Infared satellite close-up into the well-defined eye of Tropical Cyclone Giri impacting Burma today. Source: Colorado State University.
A dangerous tropical cyclone over the northern Indian ocean, Giri, rapidly strengthened overnight before making landfall in Burma, also known as Myanmar, today (Friday). The storm comes two and a half years after Tropical Cyclone Nargis devastated that country, claiming more than 100,000 lives.
The Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center wrote this morning (Friday) that Giri's maximum sustained winds intensified by over 58 mph (50 knots) in 12 hours "indicative of explosive intensification."
As of 7 a.m. this morning - just hours prior to landfall - maximum sustained winds were 140 to 155 mph (125-135 knots) with gusts to 190 mph (165 knots) - equivalent to a high end Category 4 hurricane. The storm was merely at category 1 strength yesterday.
Nargis, probably the worst natural disaster in Burma's history, had weaker sustained winds of 130-135 mph at landfall. However, most of the casualties from Nargis arose from the storm surge which pushed a 13 foot wall of water across the Irrawaddy Delta region, drowning thousands.
As Giri is making landfall further north than Nargis, away from the vulnerable, low lying Irrawaddy Delta, the toll may not be as high.
AccuWeather reported: "The site of landfall was about 40 miles southeast of Sittwe (Akyab), or 250 miles northwest of Yangon, the Myanmar [Burma] capital. It includes many coastal islands, some of them low-lying with many tidal channels, but also some high ground."
Peter Webster, an atmospheric scientist at Georgia Tech and an expert on weather impacts in the region of the Bay of Bengal (India, Bangladesh, and Burma), told the Capital Weather Gang:

[The area impacted by] Giri has much more elevation than the Irrawaddy basin that extends inland for 10s of km at sea level. So the consequences of Giri will be different to those of Nargis. Instead of storm surges the main impacts will be from wind damage and rainfall flooding.

Infrared satellite image and projected path of Tropical Cyclone Giri, making landfall in Myanmar. Source: University of Wisconsin's Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies

Giri is also relatively small cyclone, "with a relatively narrow swath of hurricane-force winds" according to AccuWeather. Smaller storms typically produce somewhat lower storm surges than larger storms with the same intensity (in terms of wind).
On the other hand, unlike Nargis - where the storm's likely path and intensity was known to officials 36 hours in advance (even if this information was not acted upon), Giri strengthened more than predicted prior to landfall, increasing the possibility of a lack of preparedness.
Webster is particularly concerned about the rainfall potential from Giri.
"With onshore winds to the south of the storm center rainfall may be expected to be torrential in the higher elevations and local flooding can be expected," he said.
He likened Giri to Hurricane Mitch in 1998 which dropped enormous amounts of rainfall on central American countries, killing thousands.
While the publication Mizzima reports preparations were underway in Burma prior to the storm and that the state-run media had issued a "red alert" for the cyclone, it is an open question whether these preparations will have been adequate to avoid another disaster.
"I think that no matter where a tropical cyclone hits in the Bay of Bengal region, there will be devastation of one form or another," said Webster. "Simply, the population around the Bay is the densest on the planet."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2010/10/cyclone_explodes_before_sockin.html

Myanmar Cyclone News

2010-10-28T09:24:00.001-07:00

Myanmar Cyclone News

Cyclone Giri lashes western Burma

2010-10-28T09:23:00.001-07:00

A cyclone that struck Burma's western coast late last week damaged hundreds of homes and displaced thousands of residents but the government has given no official estimate of damages or casualties, residents and aid agencies said Monday.

Cyclone Giri arrived from the Bay of Bengal on Friday evening with winds of up to 110 mph (177 kph), lashing several areas of western Rakhine state including Myebon, Pauktaw, Myanaung, Ponnagyu and Kyaukphyu. The coastal areas are populated by poor families living mostly in bamboo huts.
Three temporary camps have been set up in Kyaukphyu for more than 5,000 people by the Myanmar Red Cross and the Social Welfare Ministry, said Andrew Kirkwood, the resident representative of aid group Save the Children.
The government has not yet reported the damage or casualties from the category 4 cyclone. State-run newspapers did not mention the cyclone aftermath though they reported the visit of the country's social welfare minister to Kyaukphyu.
Kirkwood cited reports that "70 percent of the buildings in Kayukphyu had their roofs blown off and Kyaukphyu hospital was badly damaged."
A resident from Kyaukphyu, Daw Chit Chit, who was contacted by phone, said that many homes had their roofs blown off and that many areas remained flooded. She said communications were cut over the weekend had been restored.
On Kyunthaya island, located between Myebone and Kyaukphyu, there were seven houses left standing from an original community of 622 houses, Kirkwood said. Myebone, which is north of Kyaukphyu, was also badly damaged and the local aid groups were on their way, he said.
Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar in May 2008 and killed 130,000 people and destroyed 800,000 buildings, mostly on the southern tip of Burma's Irrawaddy Delta. The ruling military junta was widely criticized for what were called inadequate preparations and initial response to that disaster.
Associated Press

http://asiancorrespondent.com/breakingnews/cyclone-giri-lashes-western-burma.htm

Cyclone Giri Rattles Burma

2010-10-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Donations to the Areas Which Affected by Cyclone Giri October 2010 _List - 1

2010-10-28T04:42:00.001-07:00

Donations to the Areas Which Affected by Cyclone Giri October 2010 _List - 1

Diarrhea Outbreak in Cyclone Affected Area in Arakan

2010-10-27T21:14:00.001-07:00

By Maung Aye
--------------------

Mray Bo: An outbreak of diarrhea has spread across the cyclone affected area in Mray Bon and Myinbya Townships in Arakan after Cyclone Giri slammed into several coastal areas of the state last Friday, report locals and relief workers.

At least three people in the area have died after suffering from diarrhea recently after the disease began spreading. The outbreak has been attributed to the contaminated water the cyclone victims have been forced to use for lack of other options.

Two people died in Taung Gri Run Village in Mray Bon Township died on Tuesday, and a 57-year-old woman from Ran Dai Village in Minbya Township died on Wednesday.

Rakhine National Development Party chairman, Dr. Aye Maung, also confirmed there is an outbreak of diarrhea in the area and the death toll from the disease is currently at three.

A relief worker said that most villagers who are living on the islands are now having to drink coconut water after many reservoirs in their villages were washed away by storm surges. The remaining reservoirs in the cyclone affected area have been flooded by saltwater.

"People in the cyclone affected area are having coconuts as food because there is no other food. A few days after they began eating the coconuts, they were hit by the diarrhea," the relief worker added.

A doctor from Sittwe who did not want to reveal his name said that diarrhea had broken out at an "alarming rate" in the affected area after the shortage of food and drinking water. He noted that if there is not food or drinking water, as well as no roofs or wells in the temporary huts used for shelter, the rate of diarrhea will increase drastically.

According to local sources, some local relief organizations brought in fresh water to supply those in the disaster area, but there is not enough for all the victims.

Narinjara attempted to connect with physicians in Mray Bon Township hospital to inquire about the diarrhea outbreak, but was unable to due to phone lines being downed by the storm.

Many villagers in Kyunt Tha Ya are worried that more diseases will infect the survivors after 40 dead bodies washed up near Pyin Wan Village on Kyunt Tha Ya Island after being washed away along with their homes by the tidal surges. Other villages in the area are located on islands some distance from Mray Bon, and due to poor communications no one knows what has happened in those areas after Cyclone Giri brought heavy storms and tidal surges to the region.
http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2781

Cyclone Surge Kills 9 People and Washes Away Villages in Pauk Taw

2010-10-27T21:13:00.001-07:00

Pauk Taw: Tidal surges as high as 12 feet brought by Cyclone Giri have killed nine people and washed away seven villages in Pauk Taw Township in Arakan State, said a community leader in Pauk Taw who is distributing relief to victims in the area.

He said that nine people, six from Re Pike Chai village and three from Nga Ree Chai village, were killed in tidal surges brought by the cyclone. A surge as high as 12 feet washed away seven villages located in the coastal area of Pauk Taw Township.

The seven villages that were washed away by the surge are Byin Thit, Kyauk Mong, Pyin Gri, Nga Ree Chai, Ree Pike Chai, Thea Dwe, and Nga Mea Byint, which are located on small Inn Gra Chai Island in the East Phon Ron Ga Archipelago, south of Arakan State's capital Sittwe.

"As far as I know, all homes, monasteries and schools in the seven villages were washed away by a surge during the cyclone that hit the Arakan coast last Friday. The villages are now barren plains without any houses," the source said.

Over 20,000 people in Pauk Taw Township were affected by the surge but there has been no government relief since the storm struck six days ago.

"The cyclone victims need emergency relief, including food and water, but no relief has reached them yet. An NGO called Metta Foundation arrived in our town and brought 100 sacks of rice to donate to the victims. I also have plans to travel to the worst hit areas with some officials from Metta Foundation to distribute rice to the victims today," he said.

In Pauk Taw Township, several other villages located on islands were also destroyed by the storm and tidal surges. Those villages are Byin Daung, Saw Mae Kyi, Kalar Thein, Zi Shwe Maw, Kan Byin, Nga Pyi Tat, Ponna Gyi, and Sun Bike Village on Myay Ngu Island.

An official from Pauk Taw Township confirmed nine people were killed in the township during the cyclone but he refused to provide further details.

Burmese officials announced that 27 people were killed by Cyclone Giri when it hit the Arakan coast, but many people believe the confirmed death toll will be higher than that.

A youth leader from Kyauk Pru, an area hit hard by the cyclone, told Narinjara over the phone yesterday that the death has risen to 93. Among the casualties are nine residents from Pauk Taw, twelve from Min Bya, one from Kyauk Pru , and 71 from Mray Bon Township, where 80 fishing boats were reportedly sunk by the storm.

http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2778

Cyclone Victims Seek Shelter, Aid

2010-10-27T20:18:00.001-07:00

More than 175,000 people have been affected by Cyclone Giri in western Burma, and no less than 70,795 people have been made homeless by the killer storm, according to a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The report said that severe damage had been caused to infrastructure, but that major loss of life was avoided because of an early warning and evacuation plan. Communications with affected areas remained difficult, said the report.
Sources in Arakan State told The Irrawaddy that many of those whose houses were destroyed by winds of over 100 mph are currently being sheltered in local schools. They said that some have been provided with humanitarian aid by local communities, but are yet to receive aid from government and nongovernmental organizations.
“There are so many refugees and they have not yet received any aid,” said one source who had visited the cyclone-hit areas. “The only aid packages of rice they have received were from local residents and monks.
“Local residents help by collecting money and aid supplies to give to the refugees,” she said. “Some NGOs have just arrived in Kyaukpyu Town. More shelters will need to be opened for refugees as there is insufficient space in the schools.”
More than 1,200 houses were destroyed and 6,000 people were made homeless in Kyaukpyu in western Arakan State alone, according to local residents.
Burmese state-run media said at least 27 people have died and 15 were missing in badly hit Myebon Township, while five died in the town of Minbyar. However, local residents told The Irrawaddy that the death toll will likely be much higher.
The cyclone destroyed schools, government building, infrastructure and houses. Landslides have caused trees and electricity poles to collapse, cutting communications in several areas.
Meanwhile, Burma's state-run media have reported that several government officials, including Minister for Transport Thein Swe, Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Maung Maung Swe, and Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Phone Swe visited cyclone refugees in Myebon Township on Monday.
The report said that officials provided aid which included bags of rice, edible oil, blankets, clothes, drinking water, medicines, household utensils, tarpaulin sheets and personal goods to the cyclone victims.
Meanwhile, Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) said it is concerned about the lack of health care available to political prisoners in Sittwe and Buthidaung Townships in Arakan State, including prominent activist Htay Kywe of the 88 Generation Students group.
Related article: “Cyclone Death Toll Rises to 84” [October 26, 2010];

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19842

Arakan’s Woes

2010-10-27T11:04:00.001-07:00

Last week, the regime staged a lavish ceremony to welcome a white elephant to Naypyidaw. Snr-Gen Than Shwe himself was on hand to feed the elephant. The people in cyclone-hit Arakan State should be so luck.
Burma now has five white elephants, almost all captured in Arakan State. The latest white elephant will bring prosperity, peace and good luck to the nation, said the generals.
However, the people in Arakan State are not so lucky, and they are now suffering. On Friday when Cyclone Giri struck, 26 people died and thousands were left homeless, according to preliminary estimates.
Many villages were washed away in the storm, and the damage to property and infrastructure will be large. The full extent of damage will not be known until later this week.
But will we ever really know, given that the media is heavily censored whenever natural disasters hit the nation?
Of course, political news is always censored too. The category III cyclone slammed into Burma's lower coast 16 days ahead of the country's general election.
Like in the past, monks, students and private donors will come to the aid of local residents, while regime officials ponder how to respond.
There have been no reports of senior regime officials organizing or taking part in a relief effort.
On Sunday, two days after the cyclone struck, a ceremony to mark the 65th Anniversary of United Nations Day was held at Myanmar [Burma] International Convention Centre In Naypyidaw.
Prime Minister U Thein Sein, who is also head of the regime Union Solidarity Development Party, mentioned Cyclone Nargis that struck lower Burma in 2008.
“After Cyclone Nargis, we have managed to overcome the emergency situation with assistance from the UN, Asean and the international community. We have successfully managed to rehabilitate the cyclone affected areas,” he said.
He made no mention of Cyclone Giri, the dead, the scope of the disaster or whatever, if any, relief effort the state would launch.
Also on Sunday, according to Rangoon sources, Prime Minister Thein Sein made no response when the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Rangoon, Bishow Parajuli, told him that the international community was ready and willing to help the cyclone victims.
Sources said the UN's international staff and international NGO staff are being prevented from entering the cyclone-affected areas and are restricted to Sittwe, the state's capital.
“Only the local staff are allowed to go to all the affected areas. International staff need special traveling permits,” sources said.
Like Cyclone Nargis, the warning given to local residents before the storm was irresponsibly slow. Throughout the past week, the official Burmese meteorology department repeatedly denied the reports of an approaching storm, trying to assuage public fears.
The generals who ordered the capture of the white elephants in Arakan State have little understanding of the calamity and suffering of the people there, a region that has long distrusted the regime.
The generals' lack of concern for the people's welfare, the slowness of emergency aid and the shortcomings of the public warning system will surely lead the victims to take some revenge and punish the regime's USDP party in the upcoming election.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/opinion_story.php?art_id=19815

Three dead, thousands homeless after Cyclone Giri lashes Arakan coast

2010-10-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

At least three people are confirmed dead and thousands rendered homeless after Cyclone Giri lashed the Arakan coast on Friday afternoon.

Winds estimated at a speed of 120 miles an hour and tidal waves five feet high struck the northern part of Ramree Island, including the main town Kyauk Pru. Smaller islands to the north of Ramree are reporting even greater damage.

Three people in Pyin Wan village in Kyaun Tha Ya Island were killed by Cyclone Giri. Many villages located on Kyaun Tha Ya Island and Nga Pa Thon Island were reportedly submerged. Unconfirmed reports of many dead are also coming in from rural areas near Kyauk Pru town on Ramree Island.

In down town Kyauk Pru, over 10,000 cyclone victims are now sheltered at many schools and monasteries. Our reporter says they are in need of emergency relief, especially food and drinking water. Currently local people and social associations are donating food.

The population of Kyauk Pru town is estimated at 50,000 and the total population of the entire Kyauk Pru district, including smaller islands to the north is estimated at over 560,349.

http://www.bnionline.net/news/narinjara/9602-three-dead-thousands-homeless-after-cyclone-giri-lashes-arakan-coast.html

Cyclone Giri ravages western Arakan

2010-10-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

Kyaukphyu, Arakan State: Thousands of people in western Burma have been forced from their homes by Cyclone Giri and have appealed to government officials for immediate assistance, sources from Kyaukpru said.

The cyclone struck Burma’s western coast on October 22 near Kyaukphyu, with winds reaching as high as 110 kilometers an hour, according to international media reports.

The storms have also left many residents without adequate food and water, the reports said.

“We are suffering without food and fresh water after the storm struck, said an area resident.

Myanmar’s military government has made no announcement about damage or casualties, but a senior military official at the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement said there had been at least one death, a girl killed by a falling tree, area sources said.

“We are still surveying the damage while carrying out relief work,” an area official said on condition of anonymity. “Relief goods are being sent by boat and air.”

Meanwhile, unusually heavy rains in Thailand have caused the worst flooding there in decades. State-run Narenthorn Emergency Medical Centre put the death toll at 38, up from 32 the previous day.

Coastal areas of Burma have often been the target of deadly storms. More than 130,000 people were killed or went missing when Cyclone Nargis struck the Irrawaddy Delta region in May 2008.

Residents in Kyaukphyu said damage was extensive, with thousands of bamboo and thatch structures damaged by Cyclone Giri.

Nearly 4,000 people were seeking refuge at shelters run by Buddhist monks and other citizens, residents said.

“Monks and private citizens are providing people with whatever food they can spare, given their limited resources.”

Residents also feared for the safety of the inhabitants of Kyunthaya and Ngapathon islands off the western coast of Burma.

On the mainland, embankments have given way and low-lying areas have been inundated by a tidal surge.

http://www.kaladanpress.org/v3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2854:cyclone-giri-ravages-western-arakan-&catid=127:october-2010&Itemid=2

Cyclone Giri lashes western Myanmar

2010-10-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

YANGON, Myanmar — A cyclone that struck Myanmar's western coast late last week damaged hundreds of homes and displaced thousands of residents but the government has given no official estimate of damages or casualties, residents and aid agencies said Monday.

Cyclone Giri arrived from the Bay of Bengal on Friday evening with winds of up to 110 mph (177 kph), lashing several areas of western Rakhine state including Myebon, Pauktaw, Myanaung, Ponnagyu and Kyaukphyu. The coastal areas are populated by poor families living mostly in bamboo huts.
Three temporary camps have been set up in Kyaukphyu for more than 5,000 people by the Myanmar Red Cross and the Social Welfare Ministry, said Andrew Kirkwood, the resident representative of aid group Save the Children.
The government has not yet reported the damage or casualties from the category 4 cyclone. State-run newspapers did not mention the cyclone aftermath though they reported the visit of the country's social welfare minister to Kyaukphyu.
Kirkwood cited reports that "70 percent of the buildings in Kayukphyu had their roofs blown off and Kyaukphyu hospital was badly damaged."
A resident from Kyaukphyu, Daw Chit Chit, who was contacted by phone, said that many homes had their roofs blown off and that many areas remained flooded. She said communications were cut over the weekend had been restored.
On Kyunthaya island, located between Myebone and Kyaukphyu, there were seven houses left standing from an original community of 622 houses, Kirkwood said. Myebone, which is north of Kyaukphyu, was also badly damaged and the local aid groups were on their way, he said.
Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar in May 2008 and killed 130,000 people and destroyed 800,000 buildings, mostly on the southern tip of Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta. The ruling military junta was widely criticized for what were called inadequate preparations and initial response to that disaster.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39826670

Election Postponement Demanded in Cyclone-hit Region

2010-10-27T00:30:00.001-07:00

A major opposition party in Burma called on Tuesday for the postponement of the Nov. 7 election in three townships of Arakan State which were devastated by Cyclone Giri. A fair election could not take place in the affected Myebon, Kyaukphyu and Munanung Townships because of the humanitarian crisis there, said Dr. Aye Maung, chairman of the Rakhine National Development Party.

Residents of cyclone-struck Kyakphyu, Arakan State, collect relief supplies from a local monastery on Oct. 23. (AP)

His party is the only opposition ethnic party in the region competing with junta's proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party and another pro-regime party, the National Unity Party. It is contesting for 44 seats nationwide, including 11 in the three Arakan State townships where he is appealing for a postponement of voting.
“Villages were destroyed and whole houses were carried away in the winds,” said Aye Maung. “People have no place to live and no food to eat. So how can people there participate in the elections just a few days from now? It is totally impossible for a fair election to take place as scheduled.”

Aye Maung said he would send a letter to the Election Commission on Wednesday requesting a postponement of the election in the three townships, citing an election law allowing for elections to be either delayed or canceled in areas affected by natural disasters.

Thu Wai, chairman of the Democratic Party (Myanmar), said he would support the appeal for a postponement. “The election should not take place in those affected areas because we heard many people died there.”

Cyclone Giri, a category 4 high-risk storm, has claimed the lives of at least 84 people in Arakan State, and the toll is expected to rise in the days ahead.

The cyclone came just two weeks before the country's first elections in 20 years and was the worst natural disaster the country has suffered since Cyclone Nargis killed over 130,000 in Irrawaddy Delta in 2008.

Coincidentally, Cyclone Nargis also came just a few days ahead of the 2008 constitutional referendum. The regime postponed the referendum in the cyclone-hit areas for two weeks and later claimed that the Constitution was endorsed by an overwhelming majority of the Burmese population.

“We already had the Nargis Constitution. Now we are going to have the Giri election to legitimize that unfair constitution,” a dissident in Rangoon said.

US offers Myanmar cyclone aid

2010-10-27T00:29:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - SECRETARY of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that the US government is offering aid to Myanmar after a deadly cyclone struck the western part of the southeast Asian country.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Ms Clinton, who is due to travel to nearby Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia in the coming days, offered condolences on the loss of life and damage caused by Cyclone Giri, which killed at least 27 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

'The US Embassy in Rangoon (Yangon) has offered immediate disaster relief assistance, and we will offer additional assistance as needed,' Ms Clinton said in a statement.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with the Burmese people and all those affected by this tragedy,' she said, referring to the people of Burma, the country's name before the ruling military junta changed it to Myanmar.

The storm slammed into the coastal state of Rakhine on Friday with winds of up to 193km (119 miles) per hour.

In addition to the 27 killed, some 15 people are missing, official media reported. The cyclone also destroyed 2,800 homes, dozens of government buildings and two bridges, according to state radio in the army-ruled country. -- AFP

Report from WAO- Victims for GiRi 2010

2010-10-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

WAO- Victims for GiRi 2010,Eng

Cyclonic Storm GIRI Situation Report from OCHA 2

2010-10-26T17:56:00.001-07:00

Full Report

Cyclonic Storm GIRI Situation Report

2010-10-26T17:55:00.001-07:00

Full Report 2

Cyclone Giri Strikes Myanmar with Devastating Force

2010-10-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

Potentially catastrophic Tropical Cyclone Giri has struck Myanmar as a Category 4 storm.
As the eye of Giri reached the coast near midmorning, EDT, highest winds reached 140 to 145 mph, or high enough for extreme damage at the site of landfall.
The site of landfall was about 40 miles southeast of Sittwe (Akyab), or 250 miles northwest of Yangon, the Myanmar capital. It includes many coastal islands, some of them low-lying with many tidal channels, but also some high ground.
Storms of this intensity can raise storm surges 12 to 18 feet above normal tide.
Some consolation, however, may be that this storm was fairly small, with a relatively narrow swath of hurricane-force winds at the time of landfall.

Eye of Giri makes landfall in Myanmar as of 10/22/2010 (Credit: Navy Research Lab Monterrey).
Farming communities and small settlements are in the area of landfall, but not any major cities.
Headed for the Arakan Range, this storm will break up quickly inland, so the spread of its destructive winds will be confined to a small area. However, flooding rain, a serious threat from the coast to the mountains, could spill eastward to areas of interior central Myanmar through Saturday.
Myanmar has experienced major cyclone strikes in past. An extreme example would be Cyclone Nargis, which devastated the Irrawaddy River Delta in April 2008. Nargis killed at least 138,000 people, mostly by way of its high tidal surge, which spread over a wide swath of the flood-prone, populous Delta.
Myanmar is also known as Burma.

http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/40444/cyclone-giri-strikes-myanmar-w.asp

Category 4 Cyclone Giri hits Burma, NASA satellite sees heavy rainfall

2010-10-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

ropical Storm 04B grew quickly into powerful Cyclone Giri and was making landfall in Burma today as a powerful Category Four Cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson scale. NASA's TRMM satellite noticed that the storm contained some heavy rainfall in addition to the powerful winds.
Giri is the second tropical cyclone of 2010 to form in the Bay of Bengal and was seen by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. Cyclone Giri was seen clearly by the TRMM satellite twice on Oct. 21. The first good view was at 1534 UTC (11:34 a.m. EDT) when TRMM data showed a very well organized storm with heavy rainfall south of Giri's partially formed eye. The heaviest rainfall was falling at about 2 inches per hour, south of Giri's eye. The rainfall analysis was done at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
The second TRMM orbit at 2347 UTC (7:47 p.m. EDT) captured Giri's rainfall when the wind speeds had increased to 85 knots (98 mph) making it a category two tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The second TRMM image showed that Giri had developed a closed eye surrounded by powerful thunderstorms dropping heavy rainfall. Cyclone Giri then intensified to a category four tropical cyclone with wind speeds estimated at 125 knots (~144mph) before striking Burma's west coast in the middle of the morning.
On Oct. 22 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) Cyclone Giri had maximum sustained winds near 135 knots (155 mph) and was weakening as it continued to move inland. Giri's center was about 180 nautical miles south-southeast of Chittagong, Bangladesh near 20.1 North and 93.7 East. It was moving north-northeast at 10 mph.
Satellite data also indicated that as Giri was making landfall, that it had a well-defined eye about 20 nautical miles wide. High waves, coastal erosion, severe winds of Category four hurricane force and very heavy rainfall are all being experienced along coastal areas of Hunters Bay and Combermere Bay. As Giri moves inland over the rugged terrain of Myanmar it will rapidly weaken and drop large amounts of rain.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-10/nsfc-c4c102210.php

Cyclone Giri Strengthens Over Indian Ocean on Approach to Myanmar Coast

2010-10-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

Tropical Cyclone Giri strengthened into a Category 1 Storm over the northeast Indian Ocean as it approached the west coast of Myanmar, the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.
Giri’s winds strengthened to 130 kilometers (81 miles) per hour from 65 kph yesterday, the center said its latest advisory. A Category 1 Storm is the lowest on the five-step Saffir Simpson scale and capable of “very dangerous winds,” according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
The cyclone was located about 220 kilometers south- southwest of Sittwe at 12:30 a.m. local time and was moving north-northeast at 7.4 kph. Giri is expected to increase in strength and hit the coast near Sittwe later today, according to the center. It may make landfall with winds of 148 kph.
In the Indian Ocean, the Navy uses the term tropical cyclones to describe all large circular weather systems built around an area of low pressure. It’s the fourth storm of the season in the Bay of Bengal.
To contact the reporter for this story: Stuart Biggs in Tokyo at ssbiggs3@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net; Amit Prakash at aprakash@bloomberg.net.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-22/cyclone-giri-strengthens-over-indian-ocean-on-approach-to-myanmar-coast.html

Cyclone Giri

2010-10-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

Map: CYCLONE GIRI PATH 22‐23 OCTOBER 2010 (26 Oct 2010)
Map: Cyclone GIRI- October 2010 (26 Oct 2010)
OCHA Situation Report No. 2 : Cyclone Giri-Myanmar (25 Oct 2010)
OCHA Situation Report No. 1 : Cyclone Giri-Myanmar (24 Oct 2010 )
Click here for more Rakhine State Maps
Myebon Township - Rakhine State (23 Oct 2010)
Kyauktaw Township - Rakhine State
Minbya Township - Rakhine State
Maungdaw Township - Rakhine State
Ponnagyun Township - Rakhine State
Sittwe Township - Rakhine State
Pauktaw Township-Rakhine State

Cyclonic Storm GIRI Situation Report from OCHA

2010-10-26T03:40:00.000-07:00

Full_report of From OCHA

Cyclone Giri Relief Committee of Thailand

2010-10-26T02:04:00.001-07:00

Giri Cyclone Relief Committee of Thailand

The List of Donors for GIRI Cyclone in Arakan State

2010-10-26T01:42:00.001-07:00

The List of Donors for GIRI Cyclone in Arakan Stat1

The List of Donors for GIRI Cyclone in Arakan State

2010-10-26T01:37:00.001-07:00

The List of Donors for GIRI Cyclone in Arakan State

Burma Cyclone Casualty Seek Aid

2010-10-26T01:02:00.000-07:00

Cyclone Giri destroyed 2800 homes, dozens of government buildings and two bridges. The storm slammed into the coastal state of Rakhine on Friday with winds of up to 193 kilometres per hour. The storm was heading northeast through the central part of the country and is forecast to “abate into a moderate storm”, the Burmese newspaper said, quoting the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

On Friday the Red Cross reported that authorities in Rakhine state had prepared disaster relief camps in preparation for the storm as the Meteorology office predicted sea levels could swell by as much as 3.7 metres .

Burma (also known as Myanmar) is frequently hit by tropical storms and in 2008 was battered by Cyclone Nargis, which left 138,000 people dead or missing, mostly in the southwest delta region.

Nargis unleashed winds of 240km/h and storm surges up to four metres high, sweeping away thousands of homes, flooding rice fields with salt water and ravaging schools and hospitals.

Burma’s military government faced international criticism for its response to the disaster. It was accused of blocking emergency aid and initially refusing to grant access to humanitarian workers and supplies.

Thousands homeless after Burma cyclone

A cyclone that hit western Burma has forced thousands of people from their homes, while the government tried to assess the damage and send relief supplies.

Cyclone Giri struck the west coast in Burma, near the town of Kyaukphyu on Friday. There has been no official announcement from the military government on damage or casualties but a senior official in the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement said there had been at least one death, a girl killed by a falling tree.

Coastal regions of Burma are often hit by strong storms. More than 130,000 people were killed or went missing when Cyclone Nargis struck the Irrawaddy river delta in May 2008. Residents of the region said damage was extensive and there had been no systematic relief work.

Donate for Burma Cyclone Victims at Caritas Australia. More in formation please contact The Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development. Toll Free 1800 024 413.

http://www.anthelp.com/burma-cyclone-casualty-seek-aid/

Cyclone Giri Hits Arakan State

2010-10-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

A US Navy meteorological map shows Cyclone Giri as it hits the Arakan coast on Friday morning. (PHOTO: US Navy)
A tropical cyclone has hit Burma's Arakan State and has been upgraded to a “Category II” cyclone, Myanmar Climate Change Watch has said.
Cyclone Giri, which formed over the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean, has reached a “very destructive stage” with winds of up to 120 km per hour, and is due to hit Kyaukphyu, a major town in Arakan State, by 3 p.m. local time.
The water level in the region is expected to increase some five to six feet, according to the latest forecast from the local weather board.
According to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the cyclone was located about 220 km southwest of Sittwe in Arakan State at 12:30 a.m. local time and was moving north-northeast at 7.4 kph.
The center's latest warning states that the cyclone is headed in the direction of Mandalay Division and may make landfall with winds of 148 kph.
“The cyclone will become stronger around 2 p.m., but will not be as strong as 2008's Cyclone Nargis,” said Tun Lwin, the former director-general of Burma's Meteorology and Hydrology Department, who heads Myanmar Climate Change Watch.
He warned that locals should not go outdoors as heavy winds could lead to the collapse of trees and lampposts, and that the residents living near the sea should avoid going to the coastline.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19797

Fishing boats evacuated as storm nears

2010-10-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

Map showing trajectory and force of storm (TSR)

By DVB
Published: 21 October 2010

The Burmese government has put out a warning to evacuate boats on its western Bay of Bengal coast as an “orange level” storm heads for Burma.
The storm, classed as moderate, will hit the eastern coast within the next 36 hours, the government’s Meteorology and Hydrology Department (MHD) warned today.
According to Xinhua news, a low-pressure spot is building around 288 kilometers southwest of Arakan state’s Kyaukphyu and is set to intensify.
A Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) alert said that the chances of it becoming CAT 1, which means Severe Cyclonic Storm strength with winds of at least 119 km/h, is 10 percent in the next 36 hours, while there is a 50 percent chance it’ll become a tropical storm with winds above 63km/h.
A broadcast by on Burmese state radio that rain and thunderstorms are likely to be widespread in Arakan state, which has already been hit by heavy rains this month.
A number of towns in Burma are still picking up the pieces from severe flooding in recent weeks. Mandalay experienced record rainfall that submerged urban areas and left 2000 people hospitalised, while swathes of farmland in southern Irrawaddy division were inundated with rainfall.
It has become one of the worst sequences of flooding in Burma in recent history and follows heavy flooding in August in Bago division.

http://www.dvb.no/news/fishing-boats-evacuated-as-storm-nears/12339

Death toll rises on cyclone-hit coast

2010-10-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

Floodwaters remain high in areas around Kyaukphyu town where hundreds of houses have been destroyed

By SHWE AUNG
Published: 25 October 2010

Winds have finally begun to subside along Burma’s cyclone-hit western coast but some 30 people are now thought to be dead or missing.
In the worst-hit areas of Kyaukphyu and Myebon towns in Arakan state, hundreds of houses were flattened as cyclone Giri hit the shoreline on Friday last week, with landfall wind strength thought to be higher than 2008’s cyclone Nargis.
“We heard that people were killed in Pyinwun village in Myebon township – there are about 30 people missing or dead,” a Kyaukphyu resident told DVB. “We guess that their buildings were swept along with the tidal waves.”
Many of the Kyaukphyu’s residents were however able to evacuate before the full force of the cyclone arrived, meaning casualties there were minimal. The resident said the town still bore a lot of damage.
“[It] began to get fierce around 3pm [on Friday] and people had already fled the town by 6pm. They left behind their houses and food stocks which were all destroyed by the cyclone.”
Estimates of the death toll have varied – one anonymous report circulated bycommunity groups in Arakan state puts the number confirmed at 17, with a further 50 hospitalised. It added that more than 70 percent of buildings in Kyaukphyu have been destroyed.
State media in Burma was slow to respond to the disaster, but an article in today’s New Light of Myanmar said that government ministers had visited the worst-hit towns.
“Today, they inspected clearing of debris in wards, and encouraged the victims at makeshift camp. There, they presented clothes, foodstuff, bottles of water, CI [corrugated iron] sheets, construction materials and cash assistance.”
The Arakan report said that swathes of agricultural land, as well as fishing boats and equipment, had also been badly damaged. Around 2,800 people left homeless by the storm were still waiting for aid. The report also criticised the slow response to the cyclone.
“There has still been very little assistance from international aid agencies, the government or Arakanese communities in the region for the homeless. Most of cyclone victims remain in desperate need of help for their basic needs of food and shelter,” it said.
Distribution of aid in Burma is notoriously poor, with the junta regularly restricting the movement of aid workers. Following cyclone Nargis in May 2008, which killed some 140,000 people, numbers of unofficial relief workers were imprisoned.
Burmese meteorologist Dr Tun Lwin said that another storm is likely to follow in the next month or so.
“I forecasted [last month] that about three to five [storms] would come in October and November,” he said. “So far there has already been four so there is about a 60 percent chance that at least one more storm will follow in November.”

http://www.dvb.no/news/death-toll-rises-on-cyclone-hit-coast/12396

Cyclone Giri flattens coastal towns

2010-10-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

Infra-red close up of the eye of Cyclone Giri as it approaches Burma (Colorado State University)

By DVB
Published: 23 October 2010

Tens of thousands of people are thought to be homeless after cyclone Giri made landfall on Burma’s eastern coast yesterday carrying 160mph winds.
The winds at landfall are stronger than those of 2008’s cyclone Nargis, Burma’s worst recorded natural disaster that eventually claimed some 140,000 lives. Reports say however that the cyclone has begun to ease as it moves northeast.
The area between Arakan state’s Kyaukphyu and Myebon towns have been worst hit by the winds and tidal surge, which state media in Burma warned on Friday could be as high as 3.7 meters.
A Kyaukphyu resident told DVB on Saturday afternoon that rain had eased and floodwaters slightly subsided, with the water level now standing at four feet.
“Now [people] are clearing out fallen trees [and debris] from the streets – the work may take about 15 days,” he said. “We heard a lot of houses – at least 1000 houses – were destroyed in Ashey Paing ward, Myitnardan ward, and Zeditaung ward in [Kyaukphyu] town. Around 10, 000 people are now taking shelter in monasteries.
“There were around 100 houses on the foot of the hill where Gangawtaw Pagoda [in Kyaukphyu] is located. We heard now there are about two or three houses left.”
He added that three bodies were found in a nearby village, while many remained missing in the surrounding area.
“The cyclone victims have missed about four meals [as of this evening],” he continued. “Businessmen in the town donated some rice but that wasn’t enough…some locals in town were handing out instant noodle packs and the [local Myanmar] Red Cross was doing some [relief] too.”
Another Kyaukphyu resident told Reuters that “Everything is gone. All the trees and lamp posts have fallen. Many buildings were damaged. Many people were left homeless”.
The trajectory of the cyclone crossed a number of low-lying islands in the Bay of Bengal, although the main urban areas were above the level of Burma’s southern Irrawaddy delta, which took the brunt of damage in 2008.

http://www.dvb.no/news/cyclone-giri-flattens-coastal-towns/12380

Cyclone Giri Strengthens Over Indian Ocean on Approach to Myanmar Coast

2010-10-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

Cyclone Giri

2010-10-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

Posted October 23, 2010

download large image (3 MB, JPEG) acquired October 22, 2010

download Google Earth file (2 KB, KMZ) acquired October 22, 2010

Within a day of forming over the north Indian Ocean, Cyclone Giri intensified into a powerful Category 5 cyclone. This image, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite, shows the storm moving ashore over Myanmar (Burma) at 1:25 p.m. local time (6:55 UTC) on October 22, 2010.
The image shows a compact, mature storm with a well-defined eye and a circular shape. (Winds that break cyclones apart also distort the circular shape.) At the time, Giri had winds estimated at 125 knots (230 kilometers per hour or 140 miles per hour), a Category 4 storm. The storm was stengthening explosively, said the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Just 6 hours earlier, Giri’s winds had been at 85 knots (160 km/hr or 100 mph). Five hours after the image was acquired, winds reached 135 knots (250 km/hr or 155 mph), making Giri the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane.
The last large cyclone to strike Myanmar, Cyclone Nargis, had winds of 115 knots (210 km/hr or 130 mph) at its strongest. Nargis hit the low-lying and populated Irrawaddy Delta on May 3, 2008, causing extensive flooding that left more than 100,000 dead. Though stronger than Nargis, Giri was moving toward a less populated and less vulnerable region. The government had issued warnings ahead of the storm, reported CNN.
The large image is the highest-resolution version of the image. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response System.

References
CNN. (2010, October 22). Strong cyclone rumbles into Myanmar. Accessed October 22, 2010.
Joint Typhoon Warning Center. (2010, October 22). Tropical Cyclone 04B (Giri) warning nr 007. Accessed October 22, 2010.
National Hurricane Center. (2010, August 26). The Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. Accessed October 22, 2010.
Unisys Weather. (2010, October 22). Cyclone-4 Giri. Accessed October 22, 2010.
Unisys Weather. (2008, May 4). Cyclone-4 Nargis. Accessed October 22, 2010.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Holli Riebeek.

Instrument:: Aqua - MODIS

Strong cyclone rumbles into Myanmar

2010-10-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

Satellite image shows Tropical Cyclone Giri making landfall in Myanmar.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The cyclone is named Giri
Powerful squalls are expected
The government issues warnings

RELATED TOPICS

(CNN) -- An overpowering tropical cyclone that intensified rapidly has made landfall in western Myanmar, CNN meteorologists said Friday.
Tropical Cyclone Giri strengthened further to 155 miles per hour just before landfall near Sittwe, Myanmar, making the storm equal to a super typhoon in the Western Pacific and a borderline category 4/5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale used in the Atlantic.
It's currently stronger than Tropical Cyclone Nargis was when it made landfall in May 2008, killing more than 100,000 people in southern Myanmar, the meteorologists said.
Giri, which is currently making landfall near the city of Sittwe, strengthened from 52 to 144 miles per hour over the last 24 hours.
State-run media in Myanmar said cyclone-spawned squalls are expected and ships and trawlers are being warned.
The Irrawaddy, an opposition newspaper, said the cyclone struck land near Kyaukphyu, a large island in western Myanmar, and severed phone links.

Citing Yangon residents, the newspaper said state-controlled radio and TV broadcast constant warnings advising people to keep away from electricity poles and tall trees and to believe official reports and not rumors about the storm.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/10/22/myanmar.cyclone/

Cyclone Giri hits Myanmar, widespread damage (Updates)

2010-10-25T21:33:00.001-07:00

A fishing boat destroyed by Myanmar's Cyclone Nargis lies submerged in a Yangon port

The Cyclone, Giri, has made landfall in the west coast of Myanmar causing large scale damage, according to a local resident.
There is yet no word from the authorities on damage or deaths.
State television said that the cyclone has struck the coast near the town of Kyaukphyu, with winds reaching 160 km per hour and could trigger a tidal surge of up to 12 feet in some areas on the Bay of Bengal coast.
Telephone contact with the area was interrupted but a resident of Kyaukphyu contacted by phone said the area had suffered badly. ". Many people are left homeless and several buildings have damaged”.
Coastal and delta regions in the Southeast Asian country are often hit by strong storms. More than 130,000 people were killed or went missing when Cyclone Nargis struck the Irrawaddy delta in May 2008.

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7109619-cyclone-giri-hits-myanmar-widespread-damage-updates

Dozens dead in Myanmar cyclone

2010-10-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

At least 27 people have been killed and 15 are missing after a powerful cyclone made landfall on the western coast of Myanmar, officials say.
Cyclone Giri strengthened just before making landfall near the city of Sittwe, state media reported, affecting thousands of people and destroying 2,800 homes, two bridges and dozens of government buildings.
The category four storm hit several areas of western Rakhine state including Myebon, Pauktaw, Myanaung, Ponnagyu and Kyaukphyu.
It initially struck land on Friday in Rakhine with winds of up to 193 kms per hour.

The coastal town of Kyaukphyu was the worst-hit, with the power cut off and the sea wall partly destroyed.
Poor families living in bamboo huts populate the costal area.
The government is yet to make any statement on damage or casualties.
Town devastated
The Myanmar Red Cross and the Social Welfare Ministry has set up three makeshift camps in Kyaukphyu town to house about 5,000 people.
A Red Cross worker in the former capital Yangon estimated that about 70 per cent of Kyaukphyu town was destroyed, with about 60,000 people in the district needing assistance.
"Fishermen and people there have had time to move to safer places as disaster measures were already in place," he said.
"Our office in Kyaukphyu was destroyed by a falling tree ... we have had problems getting transport and the latest data but are trying to reach the affected areas as soon as possible."
After hitting the coast, the storm headed northeast through the central part of the country.
Myanmar is frequently hit by tropical storms and in 2008 was battered by Cyclone Nargis, which left 138,000 people dead or missing, mostly in the southwest delta region.
Nargis unleashed winds of 240kph and storm surges up to four metres high, sweeping away thousands of homes, flooding rice fields with salt water and ravaging schools and hospitals.
Myanmar's military government faced international criticism for its response to the disaster.
It was accused of blocking emergency aid and initially refusing to grant access to humanitarian workers and supplies.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/10/2010102514405122120.html

Cyclone Giri batters Myanmar

2010-10-25T21:25:00.000-07:00

At least one person has been killed and thousands affected after a powerful cyclone made landfall on the western coast of Myanmar, officials say.
Cyclone Giri strengthened just before making landfall near the city of Sittwe, state media reported.

The official told AFP news agency that one fatality had so far been reported.
"A woman in Minpyar town was killed when a tree collapsed during the cyclone and we have not heard of anything apart from this case," he said.
The coastal town of Kyaukphyu was the worst-hit, with the power cut off and the sea wall partly destroyed.
A Red Cross worker in the former capital Yangon estimated that about 70 per cent of Kyaukphyu town was destroyed, with about 60,000 people in the district needing assistance, although the organisation had not heard of any deaths.
"Fishermen and people there have had time to move to safer places as disaster measures were already in place," he said.
Our office in Kyaukphyu was destroyed by a falling tree... we have had problems getting transport and the latest data but are trying to reach the affected areas as soon as possible."
Houses destroyed
A resident in Sittwe said strongwinds tore through the area on Saturday evening, destroying houses on the outskirts of the town but leaving larger buildings standing.
"The authorities warned us with loudspeakers yesterday to prepare for the cyclone, so people had time to move safer places," he said.
The Meteorology office on Friday predicted sea levels could swell by as much as 3.7 metre, but the Sittwe resident told AFP news agency there had been no tidal wave in his area.
After hitting the coast, the storm headed northeast through the central part of the country and is forecast to "abate into a moderate storm", the New Light of Myanmar newspaper said, quoting
the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.
Myanmar is frequently hit by tropical storms and in 2008 was battered by Cyclone Nargis, which left 138,000 people dead or missing, mostly in the southwest delta region.
Nargis unleashed winds of 240kph and storm surges up to four metres high, sweeping away thousands of homes, flooding rice fields with salt water and ravaging schools and hospitals.
Myanmar's military government faced international criticism for its response to the disaster.
It was accused of blocking emergency aid and initially refusing to grant access to humanitarian workers and supplies.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/10/20101023153625483381.html

At least 27 dead, 15 missing in Myanmar in wake of cyclone

2010-10-25T20:52:00.001-07:00

(CNN) -- At least 27 people were killed, 15 are missing and 2,500 homes were damaged in Myanmar as a result of Tropical Cyclone Giri, which slammed into the country Friday with wind speeds of up to 155 mph, state television reported Monday.
The Irrawaddy, an opposition newsmagazine, reported on its website Monday that Myebon Township in Arakan state "was almost entirely flattened." The website said that state-run media "remains virtually silent" and that government officials have ignored offers of assistance from the United Nations.
The opposition website quoted an official with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society in Yangon as saying the death toll in the city of Kyaukpyu "is on the rise."
"All roads and telephone lines have been cut off. It's a bit hard to assess the affected areas," the site quoted the official as saying.
The newsmagazine quoted U.N. sources as saying Prime Minister Thein Sein made no response when the world body's humanitarian coordinator in Yangon said, during a ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the United Nations, that the international community was ready and willing to help cyclone victims in Myanmar (also known as Burma).
Giri made landfall Friday in western Myanmar immediately after winds strengthened to 155 mph, making the storm equal to a super typhoon, CNN meteorologists reported.

At landfall, it was stronger than Tropical Cyclone Nargis when it made landfall in May 2008, killing more than 100,000 people in southern Myanmar, the meteorologists said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/10/25/myanmar.cyclone/index.html

View After Cyclone Giri in Kyaukphru, Arakan

2010-10-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

View After Cyclone Giri in Kyaukphru, Arakan

2010-10-25T08:13:00.001-07:00

View After Cyclone Giri in Kyaukphru, Arakan

2010-10-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

Myanmar• Cyclonic Storm GIRI Situation Report

2010-10-25T07:49:00.001-07:00

The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and
principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.
Myanmar• Cyclonic Storm GIRI
Situation Report # 1
23 October 2010
This report was issued by OCHA Myanmar. It covers the period from 22 to 23 October. The next report will be
issued on or around 25 October.
For the past three days, the Rakhine State has been put on high alert following the development of a
depression in the Bay of Bengale that quickly evolved into a cyclonic storm of Category 4, according to
Tropical Storm Risk (TSR). The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) issued a red alert
for a high risk of humanitarian impact on 22 October.

The Government of the Union of Myanmar promptly issued warnings to the population living in areas that
could be affected by the heavy rains and powerful winds and organized the evacuation of some people to
areas in higher altitude. The UN, NGOs and Red Cross mobilized their staff to get ready to respond. In
particular the Red Cross mobilized its network of volunteers.
No loss of life has been reported so far though no comprehensive assessment has yet been performed.
Partners present in the immediate surroundings of the affected area (ACF, MSF, Save the Children, Malteser)
are deploying assessment teams to Kyaukpyu and Ann and the closest areas to assess the damages.
The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement has immediately made contact with the humanitarian
community and the UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator to welcome support. A fact-finding mission is
organized by the Government and could depart on 23 or 24 October to the most affected areas of Kyaukpyu
and its immediate surroundings. Other areas that have been or are still on the trajectory of the depression that
has now slowed down to a Tropical Storm could also be assessed, such as the area of Ann, which is on the
north-eastern side of Kyaukpyu. The Government has welcomed the suggestion that a small team of the
humanitarian community accompanies the Government’s mission, pending approval by higher authorities.
Several ministries have been mobilized including the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Transports and
the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.
Northern Rakhine State, which was heavily affected by floods in June 2010 after heavy rains, seems to have
been spared and the situation in Maungdaw and Buthidaung is reportedly calm.
Rains have reportedly started again on 23 October in the morning.
Kyaukpyu Township is situated on the western coast of Rakhine State and has an estimated population of
209,000 people. Communications with Kyaukpyu have been severed and electricity is reportedly down.
Kyaukpyu’s hospital is severely damaged according to the Government’s Health Authorities
I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES
• Preliminary reports of the Government announce severe damage to at least 400 houses and
buildings in Kyaukpyu on the western coast of Rakhine State following the landfall of Cyclonic
Storm GIRI of Category 4 during the night of 22 to 23 October with gusts winds of 110 mph
• No loss of life has been reported so far
• Communications with Kyaukpyu have been severed and electricity is reportedly down
• Kyaukpyu’s hospital severely damaged according to the Government’s Health Authorities
• The Government of the Union of Myanmar has welcomed the offer of assistance from humanitarian
organizations present in Myanmar.
• The National Disaster Preparedness Coordination Committee (NDPCC) and several ministries
have been mobilized and are organizing a fact-finding mission in which a small team of
humanitarian partners will participate
II. Situation Overview
The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective
and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.
2
Other areas such as Sittwe, Ramree, Ann and Myebon Townships were also close to the path of the cyclonic
storm and could have been affected.
A number of smaller islands were also on the trajectory of the storm and could have been affected.
Access to the affected areas could be difficult as this period of the year is usually linked to higher tides
making it difficult for boats that aren’t ready for high seas, to be mobilized to respond. The UN will maintain
contact with the Government to seek their support in providing logistical support for rapid assessments. The
condition of roads and bridges is yet unknown.
Organizations present in the area include among others, MRCS, MSF-Holland, ACF, Malteser, Save the
Children, UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR and UNDP.
Kyakpyu – 22 October 2010 evening – source: UNDP/UNDSS
Organizations mobilizing stocks or already responding to the emergency are encouraged to contact OCHA to
compile/share information to ensure a coordinated response. OCHA encourages agencies on the ground to
use the Inter Agency Rapid Assessment Form (IRA), available in the Myanmar Contingency Plan.
The Government has set up three (3) camps in monasteries in Kyaukpyu to host the affected population.
The authorities have already mobilized 2,000 tents and 1,050 bags of rice as well as made ready a boat to
depart from Yangon with relief supplies.
The Myanmar Red Cross (MRCS) has mobilized a stock of 1,500 Disaster Preparedness kits (including
clothing, kitchen sets, tarpaulins, etc.).
UNICEF has mobilized family kits, bleach drums, ORS and tarpaulin sheets.
The UN has mobilized the boats that are available in Northern Rakhine State to respond to the emergency.
UNHCR has compiled information on stocks of NFIs available in Northern Rakhine State (NRS) that could be
mobilized which include tarpaulins, blankets, mosquito nets, kitchen sets in Maungdaw and Buthidaung from
ACF, Care, MRCS and UNHCR
III. Humanitarian Needs and Response
The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective
and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.
3
In the field, the humanitarian agencies will explore the possibility to set up a coordination hub in Kyaukpyu or
a nearby area, if the needs require the establishment of such a mechanism to ensure coordination with the
authorities.
In Yangon, the UN RC/HC will ensure liaison with the Government and the humanitarian community.
OCHA, with the support of all the humanitarian partners involved in the response, will ensure the
dissemination of situation reports.
Funding needs will be assessed in the coming days as the priority is on mobilizing existing supplies to support
the affected populations.
Please contact:
Myanmar: Thierry Delbreuve, Head of Office
delbreuve@un.org, +95 1 544 500 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +95 1 544 500      end_of_the_skype_highlighting Ext. 801 or +95 (0) 95 11 26 52 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +95 (0) 95 11 26 52      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Myanmar: Norwin Schafferer, Humanitarian Affairs Officer
Schafferer@un.org, +95 1 544 500 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +95 1 544 500      end_of_the_skype_highlighting Ext. 808 or +95 (0) 98 61 08 48 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +95 (0) 98 61 08 48      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
New York: Alf Blikberg, Humanitarian Affairs Officer
blikberg@un.org, +1-917-367-0215 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +1-917-367-0215      end_of_the_skype_highlighting Room 06060-A
IV. Coordination
V. Funding
VI. Contact
The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national
and international actors.
The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with
national and international actors.
5

Download the Report CLICK

Cyclone Death Toll and Destruction Rises in Arakan State

2010-10-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

The death toll and destruction in Arakan State following Cyclone Giri increases while the Burmese state-controlled media remains virtually silent on the disaster, while the UN offers relief help and the regime fails to reply.
So far, 26 bodies have been found in seven villages in Myebon Township, which was almost entirely flattened by the cyclone which slashed through Burma's western state near Kyaukpyu Township with winds of up to 120 miles per hour on Friday night, according to local residents.
The villages in Myebon Township where the bodies were found were Pyisaung Chaung, Myaing Thar, Pyonelay,Tawseik, Kyarintaung, Kyahin and Amyint Chaung.
“Myebon apparently was almost entirely destroyed. Only a few buildings are left,” said Thierry Delbreuve, the head of United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Rangoon, adding that the most affected areas were Kyaukpyu, Myebon and Pauktaw townships.
Storm victims walk on a road blocked by a fallen telephone poll after Cyclone Giri swept through the area of Kyaukphyu Township in Rakhine state in western Burma on Friday. (Photo: AP)
“We heard from the Myanmar [Burma] Red Cross this morning that 16 people were killed and 40 injured. This is just the preliminary report,” he said. “There's been a lot of destruction, a lot of damage to infrastructure on the trajectory of the cyclone, but in terms of causalities we will need to wait for the assessment teams who are going to the areas.”
In its latest preliminary report, UNOCHA said that 4,500 people in five villages in Kyaukpyu were affected and one person was killed while 700 people in Munaung Township were affected by the cyclone.
The five villages in Kyaukpyu were almost completely washed away and the houses were heavily damaged, according to Chang Hun Choe, the program coordinator of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society in Rangoon, who spoke with The Irrawaddy on Monday.
“As the assessment is going on, the number of the dead is on the rise.” he said. “All roads and telephone lines have been cut off. It's a bit hard to assess the affected areas.”
A local resident in Kyaukpyu said that 80 percent of the crops in Sittwe, Myebon, Ann and Kyaukpyu townships Arakan State were destroyed by the cyclone.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Thein Sein made no response when the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Rangoon, Bishow Parajuli, told him that the international community was ready and willing to help the cyclone victims, during a ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the UN, according to UN sources.
Other Rangoon sources said that the UN's international staff and international NGO staff are not allowed to enter the cyclone-affected areas and are restricted to Sittwe, the state's capital.
“Only the local [Burmese] staff are allowed to go to all the affected areas. International staff need special traveling permits,” said the source.
The state-controlled media has been virtually silent on the death toll and destruction of the cyclone.
On Sunday, the regime's media reported about a donation of US $10,000 ($100) and 1,000 bags of rice for cyclone victims.
On Monday, the front pages of state-run newspapers were filled with the news of junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe's tour of a seaport in Rangoon owned by Asia World Company, which has been on the US sanctions list since 2008. A small, two-column article on an inside page reported that two junior ministers in the transport and relief and resettlement ministries were sent to the area.
During the first week of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which left more than 130,000 dead in the Irrawaddy delta, Than Shwe did not visit the victims. The regime only reluctantly accepted international aid.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=19814

Death Toll Rises and Thousands Left Homeless in Giri Aftermath

2010-10-25T05:49:00.001-07:00

Kyauk Pru: The death toll has risen to at least 50 and thousands of people have been left homeless after Cyclone Giri hit the Arakan coast on 22 October, many sources report.

U Ba Shin, a social activist in Kyauk Pru, said, "Eight bodies were recovered on Sunday in Pyin Wan Village alone, and 30 people the village are still missing. Everyone estimates the death toll has risen to 50."

Pyin Wan Village is located on Kuyunt Tha Ya Island in Mray Bone Township, 120 miles southeast of Arakan State's capital Sittwe.

Another source reported that the death toll has risen to at least 50 following the recovery of more bodies on Sunday on Kyaut Tha Ya Island, after many houses were destroyed by the tidal surge that hit during the cyclone.

The worst affected areas in Arakan are Mray Bone and Kyauk Pru, where local people report many bodies being found.

"The situation here is alarming, and the confirmed death toll so far in the area is 50, but it may go up," U Ba Shin told Narinjara by telephone.

Over 5,000 people are now taking temporary shelter at schools and monasteries in Kyauk Pru after fleeing their homes to escape the tidal waves churned up by the storm that had wind speeds over 100 miles per hour.

"Authorities in our town are preparing to distribute relief to the cyclone victims but there has been nothing up until Sunday evening. Now local residents are donating food to the victims after collecting food among themselves. However, rice and drinking water is now running short in the town and there is not enough to meet the needs of the cyclone victims," U Ba Shin said.

1,800 people in three wards - Sar Byinn, Zay Di Daung, and Kyin Ka Maw - in Kyauk Pru have become marooned by the flood waters or are living in shelters.

According to a source, 700 houses from Late Ka Maw Villages in northern Kyauk Pru were damaged and many people were left homeless. A UN based NGO is now arriving in Kyauk Pru to construct huts on the Kyauk Pru sports ground for the victims to take shelter in, but many other NGOs are still awaiting permission from the authority to enter the area and distribute relief aid.

http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2775

Thousands homeless, entire villages submerged after Cyclone Giri lashes Arakan Coast

2010-10-25T05:48:00.001-07:00

Views of some area of Kyauk Pru after cyclone Giri lashed the Arakan coast on 22 October.

At least 3 people are confirmed dead and thousands were made homeless after Cyclone Giri lashed the Arakan coast on Friday afternoon.

Winds estimated at 120 miles an hour and tidal waves estimated at 5 feet high struck the northern part of Ramree island, including the main town Kyauk Pru. Smaller islands to the north of Ramree are reporting even greater damage.

Three people in Pyin Wan village in Kyaun Tha Ya island were killed by cyclone Giri. Many villages located at Kyaun Tha Ya island and Nga Pa Thon island were reported submerged. Unconfirmed reports of many dead are also coming in from the rural areas near Kyauk Pru town on Ramree island.

In down town Kyauk Pru, over 10,000 cyclone victims are now sheltering at many schools and monasteries. Our reporter says they are in need of emergency relief, especially food and drinking water. Currently local people and social associations are donating foods.

The population of Kyauk Pru town is estimated at 50,000 and the total population of the entire Kyauk Pru district, including smaller islands to the north is estimated at over 560, 349.
http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=2774

View After Cyclone Giri in Kyaukphru, Arakan

2010-10-25T03:54:00.001-07:00

View After Cyclone Giri in Kyaukphru, Arakan

2010-10-25T03:53:00.001-07:00

View After Cyclone Giri in Kyaukphru, Arakan

2010-10-25T03:52:00.002-07:00

The Meeting of Arakan Family to help the Victims

2010-10-25T03:52:00.000-07:00

View After Cyclone Giri in Kyaukphru, Arakan

2010-10-25T03:50:00.000-07:00

View After Cyclone Giri in Kyaukphru, Arakan

2010-10-25T03:49:00.001-07:00

View After Cyclone Giri in Arakan

2010-10-25T03:48:00.000-07:00

View of Hitting the Cyclone Giri in Kyaukphru, Arakan Kingdom

2010-10-25T03:46:00.000-07:00

Western Burma battens down as Cyclone Giri lashes coast

2010-10-25T03:38:00.000-07:00

Rangoon (Mizzima) – Winds and driving rain from a strengthening Cyclone Giri are lashing Burma’s western coast as it was expected to make landfall between Sittwe and Kyaukphyu townships this afternoon, Arakan State, according to residents and a US weather warning centre today.

The most recent satellite/graphic image this afternoon of Cyclone Giri’s position from British analysts Tropical Storm Risk at University College London shows Giri approaching the western coast of Burma to the north of Kyaukphyu. The image puts already flood-hit Mandalay Division in its path. Photo: Tropical Storm Risk

Tropical Cyclone Giri had strengthened into a Category 1 storm over the northeast Indian Ocean as it approached, the US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre told Bloomberg news agency. It was bearing winds of sustained maximum strength to 143 miles per hour (235 km/h) from about 40 miles per hour yesterday, according to an earlier centre warning. The storm had been expected to cross the coast at 3 p.m.

In Mizzima’s most recent update from the port of Sittwe, a fisheries businessman said at 4.30 p.m.: “The weather is dreadful. I’ve heard a storm will hit our area. At the moment moderate rain is falling but it will be heavy soon. The tide will occur in the evening and a strong gale is blowing.

“Township Peace and Development Council arranged motorboats for villagers to move out of the high-risk areas [up the local river]. All women from rural areas have moved to high ground,” he said.

However, NetIndian news reported an hour ago that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said at 11:30 a.m. in a bulletin the cyclone remained practically stationary and lay centred at about 90 miles (about 145 kilometres) south of Sittwe and 110 kilometres west-southwest of Kyaukpyu, and 240 south-southeast of Teknaf in Bangladesh near the Burmese border.

A Category 1 Storm is the lowest on the five-step Saffir Simpson scale and capable of “very dangerous winds”, according to the US National Hurricane Centre.

A resident from Kyaukphyu told Mizzima: “I think the storm will come soon. Now, the gale is stronger than it was at noon. There is also [heavy] rainfall.”

The cyclone was located about 136 miles (220 kilometres) south- southwest of Sittwe at 12:30 a.m. local time and was moving north-northeast at 4.6 km/h. Giri is expected to increase in strength and hit the coast near Sittwe later today, according to the centre. It may make landfall with winds of 148 km/h.

A motorboat owner in Kyaukphyu told Mizzima about conditions on the ground at 1:00 pm: “A strong gale is blowing across Kyaukphyu. It is over the speed of 35 miles per hour. No damage! The authorities warned the people about the potential cyclone through loudspeakers. The residents from the villages near the sea were urged to move to the schools. People are preparing for the potential cyclone. People from rural areas are also moving to safer places”

In the Indian Ocean, the US Navy uses the term tropical cyclones to describe all large circular weather systems built around an area of low pressure. It is the fourth storm of the season in the Bay of Bengal.

British weather analysts from Tropical Storm Risk at University College London however said the storm was more likely to hit Burma closer to Kyaukphyu.

Kyaukphyu Township Peace and Development Council warned the cyclone across the town through loudspeakers.

Similarly, gales were blowing and rainfall logged south along the coast from Kyaukphyu in Maei and Lamu villages in Toungup and in Manaung townships, residents said.

“I have prepared bags that are easy to carry. The state radio said the cyclone was approaching Kyaukphyu, which is why I prepared,” a resident from Panhtawkyun village in Toungup said.

Dr. Tun Lwin, the former director-general of Burma’s Burma’s Meteorology and Hydrology Department, also warned of a storm surge from Giri.

“The [storm] tide will occur and it’ll be about five to six feet above sea level,” he said.

The fisheries businessman in Sittwe explained what the storm surge would mean for residents.

“Although there is no serious problem for people in the centre of town, residents in rural areas and villages will encounter many problems. When the tide rises, salty water will inundate farmland. Then, shrimp farms will be spoiled. In the past, the shrimp hatcheries and farms had been spoiled because of the salty seawater,” the businessman said.

State-run media triggered a “red alert” for the cyclone and said that a storm was blowing in Kyaukphyu and Sittwe with wind speeds of more than 20 miles per hour.

A retailer in the port of Sittwe, northwest along the coast from Kyaukphyu at 12:30 p.m. told Mizzima: “There is moderate rainfall here. A gale is also blowing. The local fire department warned the people about the potential cyclone. People are also preparing.”

An hour later, a housewife also in Sittwe, said: “People from Strand Ward, Sittwe, are moving to safe places with their own plans. The local authorities have warned boats to stay in port. Now, the wind is calm, but people said that it was the sign of serious conditions [on the way]. The local fire department also warned the public about the storm.”

Cyclone Nargis, which bore winds of more than 120 miles per hour, hit the Irrawaddy Delta and Rangoon in early May 2008 leaving 140,000 people dead and at least 2.5 million displaced.

A UN panel on North Indian Tropical Cyclones in 2000 agreed to assign names to the tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean. After long deliberations among the member countries, the naming of depressions developing into a Cyclonic Storm in the North Indian Ocean began from September 2004, with the first name assigned to Cyclone Onil, which developed over the Arabian Sea in late September 2004. As with Cyclone Giri, that name was assigned by the IMD (India) Meteorological Department (IMD).

Each country gave eight names for the cyclones and a list of 64 names was prepared. It was also decided that the eight countries would take turns to name the cyclones. The IMD said at the time: “The practice of naming storms was adopted because it was proved that short names are easier to remember than numbers and other technical terms.”

Giri comes from the Sanskrit and means mountain. As a Sanskrit honorific it means “venerable, elevated, worshipful”.

http://www.mizzima.com/news/breaking-and-news-brief/4482-western-burma-battens-down-as-cyclone-giri-lashes-coast.html

Relief Urgently Needed as Cyclone Giri Leaves Dozens Missing

2010-10-25T03:37:00.001-07:00

Around 100 villages on Ramree Island, as well as the island's major town of Kyakpyu, have suffered severe damage after Cyclone Giri hit the Arakan coast on Friday with winds of up to 160 km (100 miles) per hour and waves as high as 3.6 meters (12 feet), according to local sources.

There are still no confirmed reports of casualties, although sources in the area said that dozens of villagers and fisherman are believed to have gone missing since the storm reached its peak at around 3 pm yesterday.

Infared satellite close-up of the eye of Cyclone Giri as it hit Burma on Friday. (Source: Colorado State University)

Local residents also said that there was an urgent need for food, water and shelter after the storm left hundreds of homes destroyed by flood waters or falling trees.

Power lines and telephone poles have also been badly damaged by the storm, making it difficult for many residents to get outside assistance.

“The whole town of Kyaukpyu has been hit hard,” a local resident told The Irrawaddy on Saturday. “There are fallen trees everywhere, and many houses right on the coast have been swept away. All the shops are closed, so there's nowhere to buy food or drinking water.”

A local government official confirmed the urgent need for emergency assistance, particularly in Kyaukpyu's Zone 11, an area with a population of around 10,000 that was directly in the path of the cyclone.

Besides food and water, the official said that many people in the area also need medical attention and construction materials to build temporary shelters.

There were no reported cases of damage to the major Burmese naval base located on Ramree, an island that has attracted growing international attention in recent years as the starting point of a gas and oil pipeline project that will link Kyaukpyu to Kunming, capital of China's Yunnan Province.

Meanwhile, Bangladeshi media reported on Saturday that more than 100 fishermen in 21 boats from Bangladesh have gone missing from the northeastern reaches of the Bay of Bengal since yesterday.

There have also been reports that around 70 foreign tourists have been stranded in the southern Arakan resort town of Ngapali due to the closure of the airport at Thandwe.

Unlike in May 2008, when the Burmese regime failed to warn residents of the Irrawaddy delta of the approach of Cyclone Nargis, the state-run media has provided extensive coverage of Cyclone Giri.

According to Burmese meteorologist Tun Lwin, Cyclone Giri has weakened since crossing the Rakhine mountain range, but continues to bring heavy rain to Magway and Mandalay divisions, which have already experienced severe flooding in recent weeks. The state media has also issued storm warnings for these areas.

UPDATE (as of 5:00 pm Saturday local time): According to the latest reports, at least 5,000 people in Kyaukpyu are now homeless as a result of extensive damage to the town. Sources said that the Red Cross in Kyaukpyu has arranged to provide 300 tents and 150 bags of rice to local residents.

Myebon Township, located between Kyaukpyu and the Arakan State capital of Sittwe, has been identified as the worst-hit area, although no details regarding casualties or damage have been made available.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=19812

Thousands homeless, entire villages submerged after Cyclone Giri lashes Arakan Coast

2010-10-25T03:36:00.001-07:00

Views of some area of Kyauk Pru after cyclone Giri lashed the Arakan coast on 22 October.

The land that is known as Arakan by the foreigners is called Rakhaing-pray by its own people, Rakhaing-thar (Arakanese) who were titled this name in honour of preservation on their national heritage and ethics or morality. Sunday, October 24, 2010 Giri winds build in Arakan, ‘contact lost with residents’

2010-10-25T02:38:00.001-07:00

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Cyclone Giri hit the western coast of Burma near Kyaukphyu, Arakan State at 5 p.m. yesterday, with winds of up to 120 miles per hour (193 km/h) per hour, the state weather bureau reported last night.

The most recent graphic image of Cyclone Giri’s position at 12:30 a.m. Burma time (6pm GMT), from British analysts Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) at University College London, shows the storm over the west coast of Burma between Kyaukphyu and Sittwe. The image puts already flood-ravaged Mandalay in its path. Photo: TSR

At 12:30 a.m. Burma time (6pm GMT), British analysts Tropical Storm Risk, at University College London, placed Giri over the western coast of Burma between Kyaukphyu and Sittwe, and said its winds had increased to a sustained 144 mph. Their storm tracker data puts already flood-ravaged Mandalay Division in its path.

The “red-level” cyclone swept through Kyaukphyu Township, and would trigger a storm surge as high as 12 feet (3.6 metres) there and in Ramree, Manaung, Sittwe, Pauktaw, Myebon, and Ponnagyun townships of the state, the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology said.

After the cyclone hit Burma’s western Arakan coastal areas, it may move to the northeast, bringing heavy rainfall and landslides to Arakan and Chin states, Magway, Mandalay, and Sagaing divisions, it warned.

During the cyclone, wind speeds of 80-100 mph were expected over Arakan coastal areas and 45 mph over the Irrawaddy Delta region, the department said. The authorities also warned motorboats and fishing vessels to remain close to shore.

Mizzima made numerous attempts to contact residents from Arakan State on Friday evening, but in vain.

Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) candidate Dr. Tun Zan Aung, an ethnic Arakanese party member from Rangoon, told Mizzima: “I was able to contact my relatives in Manaung until around 12 a.m., but later, I could not. Before noon, the storm had not reached the town … Just a strong gale was blowing and rain was falling at that time. We haven’t been able to contact Manaung until now.”

A Toungup resident told Mizzima: “I heard that the cyclone severely hit Manaung and Kyaukphyu. I was able to contact my friends there until the evening. They said a very high tide had struck and that a strong gale had been blowing since noon. Currently, there’s heavy rain falling in the area.”

UN panel on North Indian Tropical Cyclones in 2000 agreed to assign names to the tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean. After long deliberations among the member countries, the naming of depressions developing into a Cyclonic Storm in the North Indian Ocean began from September 2004, with the first name assigned to Cyclone Onil, which developed over the Arabian Sea in late September 2004. As with Cyclone Giri, that name was assigned by the Indian weather bureau, IMD.

Each country gave eight names for the cyclones and a list of 64 names was prepared. It was also decided that the eight countries would take turns to name the cyclones. The IMD said at the time: “The practice of naming storms was adopted because it was proved that short names are easier to remember than numbers and other technical terms.”

Giri is the Sanskrit word for mountain. As a Sanskrit honorific it means “venerable, elevated, worshipful”.

http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/4486-giri-winds-build-in-arakan-contact-lost-with-residents.html

Cyclone damage spurs calls for aid as 3,000 homes suffer

2010-10-25T02:37:00.001-07:00

Rangoon (Mizzima) – Cyclone Giri has carved a swathe of damage across dozens of townships in its path after it crossed the west coast of Burma yesterday, residents said, adding their calls for urgent relief aid and expertise.

The most recent graphic image of Cyclone Giri by British weather analysts Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) at University College London at 9:30 p.m. Burma time (3 p.m. GMT) places the storm about 50 kilometres east of Sittwe, with maximum winds of 92 miles per hour. Photo: TSR

The Category Four storm made landfall between the port of Sittwe and Kyaukphyu, Arakan State, at around 5 p.m. yesterday, with winds of up to 120 miles per hour (193 km/h) per hour, the state weather bureau reported last night.

Telephone contact with the area was interrupted overnight after the cyclone hit but a resident of Kyaukphyu contacted by phone on Saturday morning said the area had suffered badly, Reuters news agency and Mizzima reporters said.

“Everything is gone. All the trees and lamp posts have fallen. Many buildings were damaged. Many people were left homeless,” resident Ba Phyu told Reuters.

Residents reported widespread damage also across the severely hit townships of Myebon and Minbya and Sittwe, Ann, Pauktaw and Manaung, which had received sustained strong gales.

“We heard that Myebon was the most seriously damaged of all. We have strongly urged community organisations to carry out relief work. Our team members will go to Arakan State to that end,” Rangoon-based Arakan Friends Association secretary Tun Naing said.

“Currently, public transport is unavailable because of the traditional Thadingyut Festival [of lights, usually held at the end of Buddhist Lent]. As soon as that becomes available, we will leave for the state.”

Another Kyaukphyu resident provided more details on the extent of the damage, and told how earlier predictions of a storm surge hitting the area had become a reality.

“The cyclone brought a storm surge that was up to a man’s height … I heard that the power cuts would last for a month. I saw many local Red Cross members on the roads. But I see they’ve done nothing,” the resident from Kyaukphyu said.

He added that more than 3,000 houses, nearly all of the homes in 10 wards of Kyaukphyu, were damaged in the storm.

“There was no news of any casualties but the [nearby] dam was breached. Our town was seriously damaged. I didn’t think that the cyclone would be as fierce as that,” a resident from Saiditaung Ward in Kyaukphyu said.

All of the palm plantations and salt pans were also damaged.

Arakan Friends today opened a donation centre in Thamain Bayan Road in Tarmway Township, Rangoon, to help victims of the cyclone. The charity had received about 10 million kyat (about US$10,000), Tun Naing said.

More than 70 Arakanese social organisations will hold a meeting about potential cyclone relief efforts in the Arakan religious hall at the eastern archway of Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon tomorrow.

Giri spurred fears of a repeat of the destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis, which hit the Irrawaddy Delta region in May 2008, triggered a huge sea surge, killed at least 140,000 people, and affected up to 2.4 million people, making many homeless.

British analysts Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) of University College London at 9:30 p.m. Burma time (3 p.m. GMT) positioned the storm about 50 kilometres east of Sittwe, with maximum winds of 92 miles per hour.

http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/4489-cyclone-damage-spurs-calls-for-aid-as-3000-homes-suffer-.html

Cyclone hits western Myanmar

2010-10-25T02:36:00.003-07:00

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — A cyclone spinning in the Bay of Bengal early Saturday was headed northeast after making landfall in western Myanmar, and people were advised to move to strong buildings and high ground.The Friday evening news broadcast on state television said Cyclone Giri was gaining strength and had reached land at Kyaukphyu in western Rakhine State.Wind speeds from the storm had reached 100 mph (160 kph), it said, advising people to stay indoors or move to high ground. It also warned of the possibility of landslides.
Though not as strong, the storm raises memories of Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar in May 2008 and killed 130,000 people and destroyed 800,000 buildings. The ruling military junta was widely criticized for its preparations and response to that disaster.Meteorological and disaster officials in the military-run nation had said Cyclone Giri could bring a storm surge as high as 12 feet (3.7 meters) when it hits the coast of Rakhine State. There was no confirmation of the effect Friday night.A special cyclone bulletin has been published in state-run newspapers and state television and radio were broadcasting constant warnings. The messages also advised people to stay away from tall trees and electric poles and ignore rumors.In Sittway, the Rakhine State capital, residents said authorities were using loudspeakers to warn about Giri. An official at the city's airport said it had been shut. Phone lines were down, though mobile phones were still working.People living near the coast were moving their belongings to higher ground and making other preparations for the storm."To avert a cyclone disaster, we are giving an offering of three white umbrellas and three candles" at a revered temple, said shopkeeper Nu Nu Khaing.

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/myanmar-warns-cyclone-to-hit-west-coast-saturday/437311.html

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References

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