cyclone Nargis Flashcards
What is the location of Cyclone Nargis?
Indian Ocean: Bangladesh, India, Burma, Sri Lanka
When did Cyclone Nargis take place?
27th April 2008 - 3rd May 2008
What happened on the first 2 days, and where?
27th/28th April
Cyclonic storm Nargis intensified east of India.
28th April
upgraded to Cyclone Nargis
On 29th April how fast were the recorded winds? and in which direction did the Cyclone travel?
100mph, travelling east towards Burma
On 2nd May how many mph was the peak windspeed?
Where did it make landfall?
135mph, landfall in Burma
How was the Cyclone recategorised on 3rd May?
downgraded to ‘minimal storm’
What was the estimated total number of deaths caused by the Cyclone?
138,366
At its maximum, which category on the Suffin-Simpson scale was the Cyclone? and what was the maximum windspeed?
cat 4, 135mph
What was the cost of damage?
c. $10 billion
What were the 3 primary economic effects?
costliest disaster in Burmese history
immediate impacts on agricultural industry, including damaged rice crop and death of livestock
Destruction of infrastructure e.g. road network flooded in Ayegarwady, Burma
What were the secondary economic effects?
Underfunded state services (e.g. health)
Agricultural sector’s economic productivity was hit - 65% of the rice paddies were damaged/destroyed
The cost of rice and cooking oil tripled
Loss of workforce - Many younger workers were killed
What were the primary social effects?
130,000 + deaths
450,000 homes destroyed
4,000 schools damaged or destroyed
3/4 of all health facilities destroyed in the area
What were the secondary social effects?
Homelessness & loss of community for 500,000 people
Rising cost of food caused social unrest
Survivors went for weeks without sufficient food, water, shelter, medication or means of escape from the flooded regions
98,000 of the 130,000+ deaths were not immediate, but as a result of thirst, starvation, untreated injuries and diseases.
What were the primary environmental effects?
75,000 ha of mangrove swamp forest damaged
pollution of groundwater stores
Rice padi fields inundated by salt water from storm surge and eroded by its power
Rivers filled with sediment
Debris from destroyed structures filled the rivers
What were the secondary environmental effects?
Natural storm surge protection provided by the mangroves was no longer available to protect coastal Burma
Wildlife & habitats in coastal areas heavily affected - breeding, migration and food supplies will take many years to recover.
