About Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar

The category 3 Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar (Burma) on 2 and 3 May 2008, making landfall in the Ayeyarwady Division, approximately 250 km southwest of Yangon, and affecting more than 50 townships, mainly in Yangon and Ayeyarwady Divisions, including Yangon, the country's largest city. With wind speeds of up to 200 km/h accompanied by heavy rain, the damage was most severe in the Delta region, where the effects of the extreme winds were compounded by a 12 foot (3.6 meter) storm surge.

Nargis was the worst natural disaster in the history of Myanmar, and the most devastating cyclone to strike Asia since 1991.

37 townships were significantly affected by the cyclone in Ayeyarwady and Yangon Divisions. The cyclone-affected area of the Ayeyarwady Delta covers some 23,500 square kilometers, almost twice the size of Lebanon.

As of June 24, the official death toll stood at 84,537 with 53,836 people still missing, and 19,359 injured. Assessment data shows that some 2.4 million people were severely affected by the cyclone, out of an estimated 7.35 million people living in the affected townships. Assessments also indicate that more women than men died, distorting social structures. Child deaths are also believed to have been substantial, although fatalities disaggregated by age are not available.

(source: Post-Nargis Joint Assessment Report)