Hurricane Nargis hits Burma with devastating results

Over at ScienceBlogs, Nargis is getting some coverage at the Intersection and Pharyngula.

The US Campaign for Burma is taking donations for hurricane relief, and more information as is develops is available at www.uscampaignforburma.org and www.irrawaddy.org.

The New York Times has also covered it.


Here's a message about the effects of Nargis from someone still in Burma, with some info redacted.

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Sorry to convey you the unpleasant news.

According to experts, it will take years to reconstruct Rgn and other towns as all infrastructures are collapsed now. It will take at least 40 days to reinstall electrical lines. Main water supply system is damaged and the whole city cannot get any water now. A bottle of watter cost 800 kts and there is no more stock now. Fuel price is 10,000 kts per gal tonight. Bus fare from downtown to Insein is 2000 kts. An egg cost 300 kts, and all food and commodities cannot be bought easily.

About half of housings are damaged in Rgn. Hlaingtharyar, Shwepyithar and Dagon are most hard hit. Some quarters were blown away completely. But there are very few information available, as people cannot move around even in your own quarter.

In Phyarpone, Pyinsi village out of 3000 villagers, only 700 left behind. They lost the rest. In Hainegyi, there are 95,000 homeless on the town alone. No relief assistance is available. I think hundreds of thousands of people's life are at stake, if no rescue program start in time. Kyaiklatt and Lapputta are the hardest hit, it is said. Many villages are still under flood and no food or water is available.

In Rgn, all the roads are still blocked with fallen trees. There is no public conveyance system. Almost all phone systems are dead, except very few CDMA lines which are reconnected this evening. All trees from U Wisarra road are uprooted. All big pagodas are damaged.

Only Kabaaye road is cleaned today. Prome road is still closed. No news from Daw Suu [Aung San Suu Kyi] compound yet. NLD signboard [Aung San Suu Kyi's coalition] is blown away. All advertisement signboards were fallen and all satellite antennas fall down from roofs.

There are news that hall no 1, Insein jail was burnt down to ground during the storm. Cannot confirm yet, as everyone is still busy repairing their own house and try to make their way out. The whole city is totally paralyzed and people are panic of extensive looting in the coming days.

There is no hope to get food for majority of the population. There is not even enough candles to buy. All hospitals are hit hard too and medical personnel cannot attend the patients.

I heard SPDC [the government's State Peace and Development Council] refuse some aid offers. They will not rebuilt Rgn but encourage people to move to Naypyidaw.

It is unthinkable to survive with no food, no water, no medecine, no roof, no electricity, no phones, no transport, no fuel or candle, (No job, no money, no hope) and no help.

I will update you more soon.

Regards,

(redacted)

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