Burma cyclone death toll 'at 250' destroys more than 20,000 houses
Pastor Dale Morgan
Burma cyclone death toll 'at 250' destroys more than 20,000 houses*
A raging tropical cyclone has killed at least 250 people in Burma and
damaged thousands of buildings, according to state television.
Parts of the Irrawaddy region were hit particularly badly, with three
out of four buildings blown down in one district.
Burma has declared Irrawaddy and four other regions, including the main
city Rangoon, to be disaster areas.
Rangoon has been without power and water, its streets full of debris.
Winds of about 190km/h (120mph) battered the Irrawaddy, Rangoon, Bago,
Karen and Mon regions.
Military and police personnel have been carrying out rescue operations
Cyclone Nargis has since moved towards Thailand where storm warnings
have been issued. However, it appears to be lessening in force.
Phone links down
In Irrawaddy's Labutta township, 75% of buildings collapsed and 20% had
their roofs ripped off, state TV said.
Footage of the damage caused by the cyclone
In the Irrawaddy delta region as a whole, the cyclone destroyed more
than 20,000 houses.
In Rangoon, internet and phone connections have been down since the
storm drew near, making it difficult to confirm the extent of the damage.
Official media report that four people were killed and four vessels sank
in the former Burmese capital's harbour.
A UN regional official told Reuters news agency it would take several
days to assess the scale of the damage.
"There does not seem to be a high number of casualties but for sure
there is a lot of damage to property and infrastructure," Therje Skavdal
said, speaking from Bangkok.
'Like Katrina'
One unnamed Rangoon resident described the damage in the city for the
BBC Burmese service.
"Everything was wrecked," he said.
"Roofs of the houses and satellite dishes were blown away. Windows were
broken at Yuzana Plaza. Roadside billboards were all blown away...
Everything is in a mess."
Many roofs were reportedly ripped off even sturdy buildings in Rangoon.
"I have never seen anything like it," one retired government worker told
Reuters.
"It reminded me of when Hurricane Katrina hit the United States."
A trishaw driver in Rangoon, who did not want to be identified,
complained that the security forces were not doing enough to help.
"Where are all those uniformed people who are always ready to beat
civilians?" he said.
"They should come out in full force and help clean up the areas and
restore electricity."
Death toll may climb higher...............