Asia Society - Cyclone Nargis Hits Burma

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'Yangon is like a post-war city'

YANGON, Myanmar/Burma, May 23, 2008 — The U.N. World Health Organization says the official toll of dead and missing from Tropical Cyclone Nargis now exceeds 132,000, with more than 19,000 injured. The U.N. estimates that 2.4 million people in Myanmar/Burma have been affected by the storm.

Myanmar's junta also agreed on Friday to admit aid workers "regardless of nationalities" to the hardest-hit Irrawaddy Delta, a breakthrough for delivering help to cyclone survivors, U.N. officials said.

An Asia Society contact, reporting from one of the few available Internet connections in Yangon on Wednesday, May 7, wrote: "Yangon is like a post-war city. No water, no electricity. Food prices are three times [higher].... The price of gas [is up] two times. People need a lot of things, but [the] government has no proper plan to support [us]."

Experts have commented on how the disaster may affect the military junta's closed-door rule. "This is a huge test for the military junta and indeed, it could transform the political landscape," said Asia Society Bernard Schwartz Fellow Tion Kwa. "But the immediate concern for everyone will be saving lives and rebuilding homes, getting villages back in order and restarting the rural economy."

Listen to Tion Kwa's analysis:

Read more features and analyses by Suzanne DiMaggio, director of the Asian Social Issues Program at Asia Society:

Online chat transcript (washingtonpost.com)

What Mr. Ban Can Do for Burma (Far Eastern Economic Review)

HOW TO HELP WITH THE RELIEF EFFORTS
The following aid agencies are accepting contributions to help those affected by the cyclone in Myanmar/Burma:

Gitameit Music Center (visit the website for a first-person report on conditions in Yangon)
Action Against Hunger
AmeriCares
International Federation of Red Cross
UN World Food Program
UNICEF
World Vision

Asia Society believes the organizations listed above have experience in disaster relief and an existing presence in Myanmar/Burma, and are therefore likely to be able to assist during this crisis. The list is by no means complete and the inclusion of an organization is neither an endorsement nor a guarantee that donations will be utilized effectively. Donors are urged to use their best judgment when deciding to contribute.