The Nargis Hurricane

The Nargis Hurricane originated from the Bay of Bengal and happened in May 2008. During the Hurricane there was torrential rainfall, winds of up to 200km/hr and a storm surge of 6.3m. The aftermath was devastating, over 200,000 people died/unaccounted for and the Hurricane destroyed the rice and shrimp industry around the coast of Burma. There were around 55,000 people missing and many other deaths were found in other towns and areas, although the Myanmar government's official death toll may have been underreported, and there have been allegations that government officials stopped updating the death toll after 138,000 to minimize political fallout. The feared 'second wave' of fatalities from disease and lack of relief efforts never materialized. Damage was estimated at over US$10 billion. Relief efforts were slowed for political reasons as Myanmar's military rulers initially resisted largescale international aid. U.S. President George W. Bush said that an angry world should condemn the way Myanmar's military rulers were handling the aftermath of such a catastrophic cyclone. Myanmar's military junta finally accepted aid a few days after India's request was accepted.