2.4.9

Case Study: Cyclone Nargis

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Case Study: Cyclone Nargis Disaster Event

Cyclone Nargis struck the Irrawaddy delta region in Myanmar on the 2nd of May 2008. Cyclone Nargis is the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar. Myanmar is a low-income country with an average income of roughly $1,200.

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Cyclone event

  • Cyclone Nargis struck the Irrawaddy delta area in Myanmar (Burma).
    • Myanmar is an LIC (low income country).
  • Winds reached 120 mph.
  • The cyclone developed in the Bay of Bengal (the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean).
  • The storm hit a low-lying area, so a 7.6m storm surge reached 25 miles inland.
  • The storm track was unusual, so people did not expect the storm and the area was not prepared for it.
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Effects

  • 84,500 deaths.
  • 53,800 missing
  • 37 towns were significantly damaged.
  • 2.4 million people were affected.
  • Children were orphaned, there were food shortages, diseases spread in the dirty water, and lots of people were left homeless.
  • Rice fields flooded, and 65% of the country's paddy fields were destroyed.
  • Fisheries were destroyed, especially shrimp farms.
  • Livestock drowned.
  • 75% of the buildings in the area collapsed.
  • There was $10 billion worth of damage.

Jump to other topics

1Paper 1 - Changing River Environnments

2Paper 1 - Changing Coastal Environments

3Paper 1 - Changing Ecosystems

4Paper 1 - Tectonic Hazards

5Paper 1 - Climate Change

6Paper 2 - Changing Populations

7Paper 2 - Changing Towns & Cities

8Paper 2 - Development

9Paper 2 - Changing Economies

10Paper 2 - Resource Provision

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