The government on Tuesday held a ceremony at Pathein township in Ayeyarwady Region to mark the 10th anniversary of Cyclone Nargis which killed thousands in the country, by launching an awareness campaign to prevent the tragedy from happening again. The campaign was also aimed at providing people with practical knowledge on what to do when disaster strikes, as well as discussing the recovery programmes the government initiated after the tragedy. Cyclone Nargis was the worst recorded natural disaster in Myanmar’s history and residents are still at risk of the dangers of deadlier cyclones. The government is still helping residents in the area affected by the cyclone as it tries to make communities more disaster-resilient through the help of local and international organisations. Environment experts urged Myanmar to pay more attention in formulating a disaster mitigation and reduction strategy. U Win Myat Aye, minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Ayeyarwaddy Region parliamentarians, representatives of UN agencies, local and international NGOs as well as local people attended the ceremony commemorating the disaster. Cyclone Nargis made landfall in the Ayeyarwady delta on May 2, 2008, with wind speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour, and heavy rains and storm surges of up to 12 metres in certain areas. According to government data, nearly 140,000 people died and over two million people were displaced by Nargis. Knut Ostby, the United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar, released a statement on the 10th anniversary of Nargis that said, Myanmar remains one of the most disaster-prone countries in Asia. With this in mind, the United Nations continues to work closely with the government on disaster risk reduction and preparedness, he said. Daw Phyu Lae Lae Tun, director of the Department of Relief and Resettlement, said people seem to be more aware of disaster prevention since Nargis struck. Public knowledge about disaster improved after Nargis. They are more aware of preventing disasters and the the effect of weather on their environment, she said. Daw Phyu Lae Lae Tun said, People are being educated to prevent and recover from a natural disaster. We have to consider the ways to prepare for and be resilient against natural disaster like Nargis. Ma Phoo Pwint, 25, who lives in Hainggyikyn, Ayeyarwady, recalled the suffering that Nargis brought to her family. Two fishing boats that our family owned were lost due to Nargis. They disappeared under the sea when the cyclone hit. We lost our fishing business and we transferred to another house in Pathein. Now, some people have fully recovered from the tragedy but some are still struggling. Even though I didn’t lose any of my family, I will never forget the day Nargis brought havoc to our lives, she said.
2018 The Myanmar Times