VSCS Mala - Landfall: Myanmar - 22 deaths

[senorpepr]

Cyclone Mala kills two in Myanmar

YANGON (Reuters) - Cyclone Mala killed at least two people in Myanmar and damaged hundreds of homes and several factories before petering out over the weekend, state media and the Red Cross said on Sunday.

Hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall struck a township near the capital Yangon late on Friday, tearing the roofs off five factories in two industrial parks, the Kyemon newspaper reported.

Some 586 homes were damaged in Hlaing Thar Yar Township, 10 miles west of Yangon, Michael Annear, head of the disaster management unit for the International Federation of Red Cross in Southeast Asia, told Reuters.

The cyclone killed two people and injured 12, according to figures confirmed by the Red Cross, but state media put the number of injured at 21.

Annear said a 4-member Red Cross team was assessing the damage in southern Rakhine state where the storm struck Gwa township, a coastal resort area.

Mala lost intensity and turned into a tropical storm after it hit Myanmar's west coast, calming fears of a repeat of a 2004 disaster in which more than 100 people were killed.

Link

[Weatherfreak000]

Wow, that's sad but I imagine it's sadly more then 2 people

[MiamiensisWx]

Unfortunately, I agree.

[Calasanjy]

Does anyone have the data on the most destructive cyclone landfall in the Bay of Bengal (in recorded history)?

[HurricaneBill]

Does anyone have the data on the most destructive cyclone landfall in the Bay of Bengal (in recorded history)?

The 1970 Cyclone. Over 300,000 people lost their lives when it hit East Pakistan (now known as Bangladesh). It was the deadliest tropical cyclone of the 20th Century.

[HurricaneHunter914]

Suprising how a dissapated Cyclone still has people posting on it.

[senorpepr]

Suprising how a dissapated Cyclone still has people posting on it.

Most of the discussion has been regarding the aftermath of the cyclone, which would only make sense...

[HurricaneHunter914]

Yeah, it does make sense. You know Mala was a storm of suprises. At first it was supposed to stay weak and hit India, but then it became strong and hit the densly populated country Myanmar causing severe damage. Aswell it was thought to make landfall as a Cat-4 but instead it came as a Cat-3. She was like Wilma, strengthened no matter what and stayed strong even under shear.

[senorpepr]

No link, unfortunately. This was emailed to me. However, it's from Reuters...


May 4, 2006 — YANGON (Reuters) - Flash floods triggered by Cyclone Mala killed 18 people in central Myanmar (Burma), state media reported on Thursday, sharply raising the death toll from last week's storm.
Another 14 people were still missing after the storm swept inland on April 29 and struck Kyangin Township, 130 miles northwest of the capital, Yangon, the Kyemon newspaper said.
"The flash floods occurred after the storm caused heavy rainfall in the mountains," the newspaper said, quoting government officials in the area.
Earlier media reports had confirmed four deaths after the storm battered coastal areas of western Irrawaddy Division and Southern Rakhine state, damaging 2,500 homes.
Five factories in Hlaing Thar Yar Township, 10 miles west of Yangon, were destroyed by hurricane-force winds.
Myanmar's secretive military government has allowed U.N. agencies and the Red Cross to survey the damage and provide some emergency relief.
The agencies said on Wednesday there was a need for shelters, food, blankets, clothing and mosquito nets.
"The national authorities rapidly started providing relief to affected households. They have not requested international assistance, but welcome it," they said in a joint statement.

[Hurricanehink]

Actually, according to http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VBOL-6PGGT5?OpenDocument, the death toll is up to 22. Sad, but true.

[senorpepr]

Thanks for passing that along.

[Calasanjy]

The 1970 Cyclone. Over 300,000 people lost their lives when it hit East Pakistan (now known as Bangladesh). It was the deadliest tropical cyclone of the 20th Century

Whoa, now that's a true catastrophe. It seems that weather enthusiasts and laymen alike tend to forget about major disasters of the past whenever a new killer storm strikes. That's around double the death toll of the tsunami, if my memory serves me right. With all the hype of an impending Doomsday that seems to abound these days, it's important to remember that horrific natural disasters have plagued humanity for ages.

[Aslkahuna]

The final death toll (which will never be complete)for the tsunami is in the high 200000 range. Estimates of the 1970 storm do run as high as 500000. The poor response to the storm by the Pakistani Government led to the civil war that resulted in the formation of Bangladesh. Of course the Indian Government didn't help matters any by not allowing Pakistani military relief flights passage through Indian airspace. The Indians also actively assisted the rebels during the war.

Steve

[HurricaneBill]

The final death toll (which will never be complete)for the tsunami is in the high 200000 range. Estimates of the 1970 storm do run as high as 500000. The poor response to the storm by the Pakistani Government led to the civil war that resulted in the formation of Bangladesh. Of course the Indian Government didn't help matters any by not allowing Pakistani military relief flights passage through Indian airspace. The Indians also actively assisted the rebels during the war.

Steve

I think I heard it was around 216,000.

[Jim Cantore]

Its a shame, that whole area seems to be a magnet for these disasters