Case Study Cyclone Nargis Flashcards
Location?
Myanmar (Burma)
When?
2nd May 2008
Category?
3-4
Deaths?
84,500 killed and 53,800 went missing
Cost?
$10 billion
Maximum wind speed?
150mph
Primary effects buildings?
75% of buildings collapsed - on delta 95%
Other primary economic effects?
50% livestock killed and 65% rice grown paddy fields flooded by salt water (maj. of pop worked on rice fields so income loss)
Primary: No. of people affected?
2.4 million (densely populated area)
Primary: homeless?
1.5 million became homeless and many children orphaned
Other primary social effects?
Lack of food
Primary: storm surge and flood water levels?
Storm surge of 7.6 metres and flood water reached 40-50km inland
Primary: other effects on environment?
Rice fields flooded and 75,000 hectares of mangrove swamp forest destroyed
Secondary: unemployment?
It rose as 75% of pop worked on agriculture
Secondary: other economic effects?
Starvation and hunger meant food prises rose due to high demand
Secondary: deaths?
98,000 died from secondary causes e.g. dirty water contaminated with sewage and debris and people vulnerable to diseases as they were hungry and thirsty
Secondary: environmental?
Salty water made soil infertile and mangroves destroyed meant natural coastal defence was reduced
Response: why so slow?
Government refused to let aid workers into country and restricted international aid as they were scared of uprising
Immediate response: how much aid, when?
By May 19th, gov let aid in ($17 million aid from UK - food, medical supplies)
Long term response: homes?
1 year on, only 17,000 of the 450,000 homes had been rebuilt
Long-term response: why so slow?
Economic situation (LEDC) so they had limited money to spend on recovery
Long-term: other?
3 year recovery and relief operation run by Myanmar Red Cross (NGO)
